These Eyes Of Mine
by Kofukuna Shi no Kami
Summary: The premature, random mixture of two components is never recommended. It is unpredictable and usually dangerous. Of course, if you asked Naruto Uzumaki, that was exactly how he'd describe himself. Unpredictable and usually dangerous. Rinnegan!Naruto Good!Sasuke Pairings now decided, to some extent.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Naruto felt a sickly, cold feeling spread through him, as he turned his attention towards his left side. Blood seeped into his jacket, and spread through the orange fabric. Just looking at the wound caused him to grow lightheaded, which sent him stumbling down, till he was sprawled out on the bridge's surface. The soft thud of his crash immediately alerted Kakashi to his plight, and the Jōnin rushed to his student's side.

As the Jōnin pulled up the boy's jacket to get a better look at the wound, he noticed a bloodied kunai lying next to him, evidently a stray one fired byone of Gato's goons. The wound itself was horrific, even for Kakashi, a seasoned Anbu Captain. The kunai had not pierced through him, but had left a gash that was nearly two inches deep against his entire left side. Kakashi noticed a few wisps of red chakra sizzling around the wound, but it didn't seem to be helping Naruto at all. After the boy's exhaustive fight with Haku, and then his earlier release of the Kyūbi's chakra, Naruto was in no condition to be healing himself.

Kakashi thanked his lucky stars that the Anbu corps required all of their members to know basic Iryō Ninjutsu. His palms lit up with the familiar green chakra of the Shōsen Jutsu, which he proceeded to push towards the boy's wound. 'No...it isn't going to work.' His stomach sank as the Jōnin realised that while his Iryō Ninjutsu was very, very slowly healing the wound, it was not helping his student by much. The boy had lost too much blood, and his face had already grown a sickly pale.

Sasuke and Sakura watched as their team mate fell to the ground, as his own blood formed a pool beneath him. Sakura's stomach couldn't bear the sight, so she ran to the edge of the bridge, and began to dry heave over it.

However, for Sasuke it was a completely different story. Dread filled him as he realised that once more, he was about to lose someone who he could call a friend. The worst part was the blood. Just like his parents, Naruto was there, lying in his own blood, completely helpless.

But he wouldn't be helpless this time. This time, he actually had the ability to do something. With that realisation, the Uchiha Heir steeled his nerves and ran over to his sensei, who he noticed had begun using some sort of medical jutsu to heal Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, is he going to be okay?" The boy tried his best to remain neutral, but even he could tell that a little bit of emotion had leaked into his voice. Fortunately, Kakashi knew that it wasn't the best moment to joke around with that.

"It isn't looking good.He's already lost too much blood. There's a tiny chance that he'll be able to heal using his own chakra, but after his fight, this could go either ways." Even through the explanation, the Jōnin kept his concentration upon the Shōsen Jutsu, not willing to let go if there was still any chance that he could save his student. 'I'm not going to lose more people.'

Sasuke nodded, understanding what his teacher was telling him. "You can take my blood."

Those words were enough tocatch the Jōnin's attention, snapping him out of his own reverie. "What do you mean, Sasuke?"

"My blood, it's O-, so it works for everyone. I'm a universal donor." Those words immediately brightened Kakashi's disposition, as he realised that Naruto still had a chance.

"Sasuke, that's excellent. Come over here, I'll attach a bag to you right now. "Kakashi said, focusing on producing a seal less shadow clone. The clone proceeded to unseal amedical kit from his bag, from which it pulled out a drip and a bag. He prepared the equipment, before turning towards Sasuke.

"Now, I am going to remove some of your blood. You might feel a bit faint, but only for a little while." With that warning, the clone pushed the needle into the Uchiha's arm, allowing blood to flow into the bag attached to it.

Sasuke ignored the prick, not caring much for any discomfort. While the clone collected his blood, he looked away from Naruto, glancing around the bridge.It was mostly littered with the bodies of Gato's hired muscle, but the bodies of Haku and Zabuza also lay there, next to which was the Kubikiribōchō. Tazuna was still in a bit of a trance from having seen a small army torn apart by a single ninja, and Sakura was still leaning over the edge, trying to style her stomach.

As he looked over the bridge, he realised something. He had expectedto seea lot of blood from life as a shinobi, to be honest. But to be shown all of this on his very first mission outside of the village was something else.Yet he knew he couldn't just let his nerves get the best of him, because his team still needed him.

It was at that moment that Sasuke realised what kept Naruto going.The boy had always said it, but it was the first time that Sasuke truly learnt what he meant. 'I'll be Hokage, dattebayo!' The kid wasn't just saying that for himself. He was saying it for everyone in the village. His friends, his teammates, and everyone else he cared for. That's why, even though he was the dead last of their year, he was still bright and happy. Because he had something to fight for.

Sasuke was jerked out of his thoughts when the clone pulled theneedle out of his arm, attaching the now full bag to Naruto's arm.

By this point, Kakashi's breath was growing laboured. He had already used a lot of his chakra on making shadow clones and using Shōsen. But he was glad to note that with the blood entering the boy's body, he seemed to rejuvenate, and the gash was slowly growing smaller.

"Feed Naruto a soldier pill, stat." The original commanded, and the clone immediately pulled out a small pill from his pocket, which he crushed into smaller crumbles, and fed to the boy.

As soon as Naruto had swallowed the soldier pill, his cheeks flushed with colour. The combination of the feshly donated blood and the chakra replenishing pill had an immediate effect on the boy, as his chakra system was started up, causing his own healing factor to kick in.

'I can't believe we got lucky enough to have blood on the spot. I mean, had Sasuke not brought that up, Naruto wouldn't have made it.' The Jonin tried to shift his focus away from these dreary thoughts, instead marvelling over the amazing healing abilities of the Jinchuriki. Admittedly, his Shōsen was helping a little, but once the boy's own chakra had started healing him, the wound was practically knitting itself back to normal. 'Naruto just doesn't realize how lucky he is. I mean, being the Kyūbi Jinchuriki was one thing, but having the famous Uzumaki vitality and longevity on top of that.' The Jonin allowed his Shōsen to die off, not wanting to subject himself to chakra exhaustion once more. By this point, the gash looked like a much smaller cut, although the scar of the original wound remained. That wasn't going anywhere soon.

Turning to check on his other students, Kakashi noticed that Sasuke was still looking as solemn as ever, although there was a sliver of relief in his eyes. Sakura was faring much better now, and had gotten a hold of her nerves. She had managed to walk closer to Naruto, although she was still standing further away than Sasuke. "I-is Naruto going to be okay, Kakashi-sensei?" The girl asked, with a tone of sadness, and what sounded like guilt.

Kakashi finally allowed himself to release a sigh he had not known he was holding in.His mind felt a lot lighter as he smiled at his students. "Yes, Naruto's going to be just fine." The Jonin stood up, and gestured toward the bridge. "But we need to clean this mess up. I'll have a clone take Tazuna and Naruto back to his house, while we get started on theclean up."

Kakashi proceeded to make a new clone, as the older one had already dispelled.The clone picked Naruto up carefully, making sure to not aggravate the area around the injury. The boy might be out of the danger zone, but Kakashi knew he wasn't perfectly alright just yet. He would allow the boy to rest for at least a day before having him return to his duty of protecting Tazuna with the rest of theteam.

The Genin nodded stiffly. They weren't looking forward to having to clean up the bodies that lay strewn across the bridge, but they knew they had to do it, so they didn't complain. Just as the clone was about to jump away with Naruto, a rumbling was heard from the other end of the bridge.

Tazuna and the ninja – or the conscious ninja, at least – looked in the direction of the noise, only to see a small horde of people running towards them.

The group was armed with a great number of makeshift weapons, ranging from lit torches and pitchforks to kitchen knives and spades. At the head of the phalanx was Inari, surging forth with a slingshot in his hands, anda metal cooking pot on his head. "The people of Wave are here to help! We're gonna fight for our country!" The little boy's voice boomed across the bridge, as he pulled out a stone and pulled back his slingshot. "Now, where are the bad guys?!"

The shinobi were amused by their arrival, but Tazuna was not as happy. "Inari, you little brat, why'd you come out here when you knew you should have stayed at home. You're too late anyways, the ninja already took down all of the thugs." The old man pinched his grandson's ear, earning small sounds of protest from the boy. The rest of the villagers were confused by what Tazuna had said about the ninja having beaten the thugs. Or at least, they remained confused until a breeze blew by which finallyremoved thelast of Zabuza's Hiding In The Mist Jutsu. As that mist dissipated, the sight of all the corpses became visible to all the people there, and the effect was instantaneous.

Well, most of the civilians immediately felt sick, but some began to celebrate the death of Gato, and their freedom from his greed. The clone of Kakashi only sighed, before leading Tazuna and Inari away from the crowd and back to their home. The bridge builder continued to give his grandson an earful regarding his rash behaviour. But despite his front of anger, the man was pleased with the boy. After months of suffering under Gato, it was Inari who finally brightened the spirits of the villagers and rallied them together for a good cause. And Tazuna was proud to call Inari his grandson.

Back at the bridge, the crowd had begun to thin out, with most people going back to the town to celebrate the end of Gato. Kakashi eye smiled atthe two Genin, though the smile was more sadistic than joyous. "Well, my cute little Genin, looks like we should get to work. "The two groaned as they begrudgingly got to work.

* * *

It was a long week, but soon enough, the bridge was complete. The entire town had gathered near the bridge to congratulate the old bridgebuilder and marvel at its magnificence. They had also gathered to bid farewell to the ninja of Konoha, whose mission had finally come to a close.

Naruto grinned as he stood next to his teammates, ready to leave for their return toKonoha. The boy had only needed about ten hours of rest before he was all good to go, and the wound on his abdomen was nothing more than a scar.

He had been surprised to hear about how bad his condition had gotten, and he had been even more surprised to hear that Sasuke was the reason he was still standing here. Between that and the boy having jumped in front of him to take on a hail of senbon, Naruto was beginning to realise that Sasuke wasn't a bad kid through and through. He had just been dealt a bad hand by life. Just like Naruto himself.

The three Genin had resumed their tree-walking training during the week after the battle with Zabuza, and though all three were now proficient with the actual exercise, Kakashi had instructed them to continue practising, as that would improve their chakra control as well as their skill with tree-walking.

Tazuna stepped forward, a look of triumph on his face, and a large bottle of sake in his hand. "People of Wave, we have these brave ninjas to thank for our freedom today. It is because of them that we can celebrate today," The man took a hearty swig from his bottle, and then raised it up above his head. "And in honour of their work, I have decided that this bridge shall be known as 'The Great Naruto Bridge'." The announcement was met with immense applause and support from the crowd, and it caused a bright blush to settle over Naruto's cheeks.

Inari picked that moment to chime in, as he clutched onto Naruto's leg. "Please don't go now, Naru-nii! Wave needs a good hero like you. Please, just stay here with us!" The kid cried out, with tears running down his cheek, unwilling to let go. Naruto leaned down and patted the kid on the head. "Inari, these guys don't need another hero. They have you. And I know you'll take care of all of them."

The Genin's words served to make the young boy begin crying even more. Frankly, the sheer volume of the tears was incredible by this point, but he finally let go of Naruto.

Fifteen minutes later, the group had taken to the trees, jumping from branch to branch in a flurry of mobility, with their home village on their mind as their destination. Kakashi was glad that the tiresome mission had drawn to a successful close. Though, the entire experience has been more than a little humbling for him. Evidently all the time he had spent outside of the Anbu had made him grow rusty. Five years ago, Kakashi wouldn't have had a problem with spamming jutsu after jutsu, but in his match against Zabuza, just a handful of jutsu drained him of practically all of his chakra. The whole incident had been an eye-opener. 'I need to start some more serious training once I return to Konoha. I can't protect my students if I'm in no condition to protect myself.'

Sakura was having a similar line of thought, although it was inclined towards her own weaknesses and limitations. 'I can't believe I just froze up like that in front of Zabuza. And then I couldn't even help Sasuke-kun against Haku. Even Naruto-baka risked his life and gave it his all to fight them.' She remembered how weak and helpless she had felt when she saw the missing nin fighting her team mates and her sensei. Heck, she could barely keep up with the movements of Naruto and Sasuke, let alone Haku. And the battle between Zabuza and Kakashi had been so intense that just the aura of both Jōnin had been enough to petrify her. The thoughts plagued her mind the entire way back, although they had diminished somewhat by the time the familiar village gates came into view.

The group landed onto the ground seamlessly, and continued walking toward the gates. The trip from Konoha to Wave that had taken a whole day when Tazuna had been along, but without them having to slow down to accommodate any civilians, the team of ninja was able to make the trip back in less than five hours. They had made a short stop on the way back, both to take a break and to finish up the mission report they would present to the Hokage. And the Hokage Tower was their first destination.

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Hiruzen Sarutobi read over the latest mission report he had been given, a mask of complete composure on his face. Internally, however, it was a completely different case. The entire report was just...ridiculous. First of all, the mission had gone from being a C-Rank to a A-Rank once two Kiri missing nin had intervened, which happened less than ten kilometres away from the village. And instead of returning to the village once that had happened, Team 7 had continued on with the mission, breaching all protocol. To top it off, two more ninja had attacked the squad, including a previous member of the Seven Legendary Swordsmen of Kiri. At that point the mission was nothing short of an S-Rank.

"Kakashi, I cannot say I am pleased with your decision to carry out the mission, despite the deception of your client. You chose to endanger the lives of both yourself and your clients." Kakashi cringed slightly at the admonishment, as the Sandaime Hokage continued. "Fortunately for you, the mission did not have any casualties, and it says here that all of the Genin insisted upon continuing the mission, therefore I am willing to overlook this." This instantly calmed the Jōnin's fretted nerves.

"Well, it seems that everything is in order. You may pick up your pay from the mission office. You will be receiving the average S-Rank mission pay, and this will also be going on your record as an official S-Rank. All of you are dismissed, except for Naruto. I would like a word with you."

The Uzumaki gulped as his team mates left the office. He knew that his Jiji wouldn't actually do anything to hurt him, but the serious look he had on his face was scary nonetheless. "Hehe, is something wrong Jiji?" The boy asked in the most innocent voice he could muster.

The Hokage merely offered the boy a pointed look. "I cannot say I am too surprised, Naruto. Your first mission, and you've already gotten into a tonne of trouble." The Sandaime chuckled. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything else from my future successor. I am glad that you are alright, though I would like it if you tried to not get injured to the best of your abilities." Hiruzen added a more serious tone to that last part, which caused the boy to grow slightly abashed. "But that is all, Naruto. You did well on the mission, so go on, enjoy your time off." Naruto smiled, before dodging out of the office, glad he wasn't in any trouble.

Once he had gotten his pay from the mission office – which was honestly so much that he had been shocked – Naruto made his way back to his apartment. It was early in the afternoon, so he wanted to just take the day to relax, and maybe hit up Ichiraku's in the evening. As soon as he arrived, he noticed that his apartment's door was open. He pushed it open, noticing that the lock of the door had been smashed. He felt his stomach sink as he entered the apartment, noticing shattered glass strewn across the entire floor.

He grew more upset as he realised that his entire home had been ransacked. The entire place had been covered with the glass, and all the windows had been broken. He stepped into the kitchen, only to see his cupboards broken and his fridge gone. His mattress was also in the kitchen, or at least whatever remained of it. From the burns across its surface, and the multiple holes made through it, it wasn't exactly something he'd be able to sleep on any time soon. He winced as he realised that his bedroom was probably in an even worse state.

For a moment he grew angry. In fact, angry was an understatement. He was properly agitated, as he saw the condition his home was in. He should have expected it, to be honest, as the villagers had always done something along these lines whenever they had gotten the opportunity. But it had never been this bad before. Sure, some jerks would spray paint the walls or kick the door in, but this was just something else. 'I leave the village for a few weeks and they've already destroyed my home. I swear, if I ever find out who's responsible, I'm gonna make them pay.' He forced back his rage, as he knew it would not do him any favors to grow upset. All he could do was hope that he would be able to replace or fix whatever was damaged.

He walked into his bedroom and was not surprised to see the bedframe missing, along with all of his clothes shredded up and on the floor. He only grew more infuriated as he registered the fact that now with all his clothes ruined, and his current jumpsuit cut on the side, he didn't have anything else to where.

With a weary sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. His day had really taken a nosedive. It was then that he remembered the small fortune he had just received for the latest mission. Obviously, he hadn't planned on using that money on getting his apartment fixed up, but he had to do what he had to do. "Ugh, looks like I'm going out again."

Naruto was about to head out, when an idea struck him. He smiled a little as he formed his favourite hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Ten clones appeared around him, and looked at him questioningly. "All right, all of you get to cleaning. Everything that's busted up goes out to the garbage. Anything that can be salvaged, you clean up and put it back to wherever it belongs. Now get to it!" His orders were met with mutters and groans, though the clones began to shuffle around and get the cleaning supplies. With a look of satisfaction, the boy then walked out of the apartment, heading toward the market.

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Naruto had developed the habit of avoiding the civilian stores, especially since they would never treat him fairly whenever he went there. He was usually able to make do with the shinobi markets, but there would be times when he had no option, and he would have to go to the civilian side of the shops. Whenever that was the case, he'd use a Henge to cover up his identity, just so that he wouldn't be kicked out of the shops or ripped off. And this was exactly one of those situations. None of the shinobi shops sold actual furniture, so his only option was the civilian one.

So, looking exactly like a middle-aged man with brown hair, he entered a furniture shop, and began to inspect the merchandise. After about half an hour, he had purchased a new bed along with a fridge. They weren't exactly the best, but they had been some of the more affordable options, and he didn't want to raise any suspicions. It had taken him a while to convince the shop owner that he wouldn't be needing any help with delivery, and that he'd just take the furniture himself. He again used the Kage Bunshin rather creatively, and made a set of clones with the order to take the furniture back to his apartment and set it up. He thanked his lucky stars that the shadow clones also had the Henge over them, and the clones took off while Naruto headed to a grocery store, still in disguise.

He purchased a load of cup ramen, along with a carton of milk. He quickly paid for the things he got, before heading towards the shinobi side of the market. He entered the general shinobi equipment store, and dispelled the Henge. He looked around the store, and located the clothes section. He began to browse through the options they had, and was rather pleased by the variety of orange. The first thing they had were standard black shinobi trousers with orange highlights on the sides – which he decided to get three of. He also got a couple of orange jackets, which had black sleeves, and a zipper across the front. That was all he needed for the time being, plus it was the best that they had in orange. He went to the counter, where a retired Chūnin billed up all the items, and paid for the stuff he got. The Chūnin then sealed the clothes into a scroll, which Naruto pocketed. The boy then left the shop after thanking the Chūnin.

As he walked through the streets, he got a sudden headache, as memories flooded his mind, of him having cleaned up is entire apartment. 'What the heck? That's what my clones were doing. Why'd I get the memories from the clones?' The boy questioned, as the small headache quickly dissipated. He decided he'd pin that to the back of his mind, and ask Kakashi-sensei or Hokage-jiji later.

Though he had to admit it, his clones did one heck of a great job at cleaning up his home. He rushed home, glad to see that the clones had also put the furniture in. They had managed to fix up the cupboards as well. They weren't perfect or anything, but he'd be able to use them at least.

He had soon stacked the food into the cupboards, and changed into one of the new sets of clothes he had just bought, while a pot of water boiled on the stove. He walked back into the kitchen with his new clothes on, and took the water to prepare a hearty meal of a double instant ramen. Five minutes later, once he'd finished up with his impromptu dinner, he went to his bedroom. He didn't know why, but he had been more tired than usual ever since he had gotten back to Konoha. He decided he'd just call it an early night, as he flopped onto his brand-new bed. He drifted off to sleep, as fantasies of all the Ichiraku ramen he could buy using the remaining mission pay flooded his mind.

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**Author's Note:**

**To kick this off, I just want to say that I have literally zero knowledge regarding blood donation/transfusion, so please forgive inaccuracies regarding that entire incident.**

**Secondly, as I read over this I realised there had been a bit of a NaruSasu feel to some parts, which was unintentional. This is not yaoi, not my cup of tea, but it will have Naruto and Sasuke being closer as friends and rivals.** **Sasuke may have seemed OOC in this chapter, but seriously, if he jumped in front of a actual hail of senbon for Naruto, he can't be too bad. Don't get me wrong, my favorite of the duo is Naruto by far, but I'm not going to be bashing on Sasuke either.**

**Moving on, this is something I am sort of working on because while it may be a really, really overdone plot, I want to do it because a Rinnegan!Naruto is honestly just cool, and it feels great writing this.I will actively try to change it up a bit and add originality - which I think is also present in this chapter because I haven't seen this sort of beginning to a Rinnegan!Naruto fic - and not allow it to be a complete cliché.**

**Of course, with the Rinnegan comes an OP!Naruto, but I will not just rush into it. I will do my best to make the progress realistic. And I have absolutely no idea of what I should do with pairings here, so I am open tosuggestions.**

**Finally, the whole apartment-ransacking thing will be looked into with more details later, and more explanations will be provided for the whole 'civilians hate Naruto' thing.**

**And, in the case that there are any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, I am sorry, but transferring a docx between the app and the website really messed the text up in some places. I've gone through it a couple times, but if you find a mistake, let me know and I'll fix it.**

**So, favorite and follow the story if you liked it, and if you have any questions, please leave a review or shoot me a PM.**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami

**PS: A shoutout to UzaiUkiyo for help with drafting this idea. If you liked this, check out his story as well.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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The first thing Naruto felt once he woke up was a throb in his head. It was like a constant hammering inside of his skull. He groaned as he pushed himself off of the bed, and looked out of the window. The sun was just rising, so he'd been asleep for almost nine hours. Yet he didn't feel energized at all. In fact, he felt even more tired than when he'd arrived back in the village.

He tried going back to sleep, but after ten minutes of tossing and turning under the covers, he knew that it was futile. He was up, so he might as well do something to pass the time. In about three hours he'd have to go to training ground four to meet up with his team anyways. Kakashi-sensei had told them that he had something important that he had to discuss with them.

The preteen stumbled out of the bed, and walked to the kitchen. He grabbed a carton of milk from his new fridge, and chugged down a quarter of it. He then went to the bathroom, and took a quick shower. He'd been lucky enough that whoever raided his apartment hadn't done much damage to the plumbing.

As he showered, his headache grew worse, and by the time he was done, it was almost unbearable. And a new sensation had joined the headache. A painful, hot burning just behind his eyes. He moved toward the mirror to check, only to curse as he remembered that the mirror had been shattered by whoever ransacked his place. Suddenly, an idea presented itself, and Naruto formed a hand sign for what was rapidly becoming his favourite jutsu. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A single clone popped into existence, and Naruto looked at the clone's face to check his own. And he almost shrieked because of what was staring him in the face.

His clone stood in front of him, with the regular goofy smirk on its face. But what really shocked him were the eyes of the clone. Instead of being azure, the eyes of the clone were a light shade of purple, with four concentric circles around a single dot – which Naruto assumed was the pupil. He pinched himself, and when the eyes remained the same, he pinched himself again for good measure. The eyes remained the same.

Now, Naruto wouldn't argue with the fact that he wasn't the smartest tool in the shed, but he knew that a change in eye colour was not a good thing. Especially not when it gave him a massive headache and made his eyes feel as if they were melting. As the boy looked at his eyes, or rather, whatever kind of eyes these were, he realized he was far outside of his depth. He needed help, and the only person he trusted enough for this sort of thing was the Hokage. Naruto dashed out of his apartment and took to the rooftops, jumping across the buildings towards the Hokage Tower.

* * *

Most people would believe that Hiruzen Sarutobi resided in the Sarutobi clan compound, or even the Hokage compound, but they would be wrong to think so. Ever since he had been reinstated as the Hokage, the Sandaime had lived inside the residential quarters of the Hokage Tower itself. At first, he had made the decision because after the death of the Yondaime and the attack of the Kyubi, he was needed at the Hokage Tower almost all the time. But as days turned to weeks and months, he never found the time to move back into the Sarutobi compounds, so he simply remained in the Hokage Tower.

Hiruzen had actually been in his office when an Anbu appeared before him to inform him that Naruto Uzumaki was there to see him. While he never gave up a chance to spend time with the boy, he was confused as to why the Genin had to see him this early in the morning. From what he knew, the boy had a knack for sleeping in.

"Please send him in." The Anbu nodded in response, and went to open the door, allowing the Genin to enter. He then jumped back, disappearing into the shadows as all Anbu seemed to be able to do.

Hiruzen saw that Naruto was covering his eyes with his hands, and was again confused, as well as greatly concerned. But before he could word his emotions in any way, the boy let his hand drop down, and the Hokage was instantly silenced. Staring at him were not the warm and caring blue eyes of the child he had seen grow up in the village, but rather a cold purple, with black rings around the centre. However, the change in colour alone was not what shocked the Hokage. He would never boast about it, but he had been around long enough to know more than the average person when it came to the various existing and extinct ninja jutsu, and that was an understatement. Therefore, he knew exactly what the boy's eyes were. They were one of the three legendary doujutsu, the most powerful pair in fact. Not only that, but they were also astronomically rare. In fact, the only time they had ever been recorded to be possessed by anyone were by the Rikudo Sennin, and that was several centuries ago. And as far as Hiruzen knew, they had only been seen one other time. In that strange Ame kid Jiraiya had trained during the Second Great Ninja War.

Naruto only grew more antsy as the Hokage remained in shock, until it came to a point that he could no longer take it. "Jiji, what's wrong? Why are my eyes weird?"

The questions quickly pulled the man out of his own thoughts, as he tried to assess the situation. He surreptitiously moulded his chakra to ensure that he wasn't a captive of some Genjutsu, before thinking over everything that had happened so far. He sighed, knowing he had to tell the boy the truth, so he signalled for him to take a seat.

"This is a bit of a long story, but do not worry, Naruto, nothing is wrong with you."

The confident tone of his surrogate grandfather served to calm his nerves, and he sat on the proffered chair, which stood to the right of the Hokage.

The man leaned back into the chair, before deciding that he would need to start with some background information. "Naruto, I trust you are aware of the Byakugan and the Sharingan, right?"

The boy nodded hastily. "Yeah, of course. The Byakugan's the one Hinata has, and the Sharingan's from the Uchiha clan. Sasuke actually just got it in Wave."

"Yes, that is true. Now, these two eyes are called doujutsu. They are a sort of bloodline limit that develop within people of a specific genealogy." The Hokage stopped when Naruto looked at him with a bewildered expression. "People who have a similar sort of blood or DNA." That instantly caused Naruto to nod once more, this time with understanding.

"But there is another doujutsu, although the knowledge of it is very scarce due to its rarity. This one is known as the Rinnegan, and that is what you seem to possess."

Naruto hung onto every word of the Hokage's before allowing his face to split into a grin. "So, you're saying that I have a doujutsu just like the Byakugan and Sharingan? That's sweet!"

Hiruzen smiled at the child. He had always admired his ability to see the best in things. "Those are the basics of the situation, although there is still more to discuss."

Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts, before turning back to the Hokage, though he remained unable to wipe the grin off of his face.

"Now, you are fortunate that I know a person who knows at least the very basics of the Rinnegan. I shall contact him, and have him come to the village immediately to provide training for you." That remark only served to further awe the boy, though it did raise one concern.

"I mean, I don't mind the additional training, but I'm pretty sure I can manage on my own. Why do I need some special training?"

The Hokage smiled softly, to assuage any worries of inadequacy the boy might have. "Naruto, I know that you may want to train up with the Rinnegan yourself, but you need to understand how fragile your current situation is. Having the Rinnegan is extremely rare, but it is also extremely powerful. And trust me, there are many out there who would stop at nothing to take your Rinnegan from you." Hiruzen paused, as the memory of a certain yellow eyed student of his came to mind. He hated to admit it, but Orochimaru would probably want the powers of the Rinnegan more than any man on the planet, especially since it offered a complete affinity for all five elements, as well as its unique collection of gravity-based jutsu. "Therefore, I am not willing to take any risks when it comes to your safety. You need to start developing your skills as fast as possible, because having the Rinnegan puts a huge target on your back."

Naruto took the explanation in stride, though he was more curious about why people would want the Rinnegan so badly. It didn't take long for the reason to finally click inside his mind. "So, exactly how powerful can people be with the Rinnegan?"

Hiruzen grimaced. There was no way he would allow Naruto to know that there were virtually no limits to the power the Rinnegan granted. The boy would run himself into the ground if he knew that. Plus, it would then be practically impossible to keep the fact that a child in Konoha had the Rinnegan a secret. However, he couldn't just lie to Naruto either. Not only would that tug at his heart strings, but he was also sure that it wouldn't be long before the kid began to learn how powerful his eyes were. He needed to make sure that Naruto understood the importance of having this kekkei genkai, while also making sure he would stay quiet about it, at least until Jiraiya arrived. 'With his connections, he'll be able to hide away Naruto for just long enough to let him learn the basics. Once the boy can protect himself, having the Rinnegan will be a completely different scenario.'

"Well, I can just say that it will definitely make you a force to be reckoned with very soon. In fact, it might just speed up your path to taking this hat from me." Sarutobi said, taking off the Hokage hat to place it on his desk. "But you will have to stick to the training Jiraiya will give you, and make sure you don't go off telling anybody about this until I say so." He immediately began writing out a letter for his student, encrypting it with one of the codes he was sure only Jiraiya could crack.

The second the note was prepared, the Hokage raised his hand. For a second Naruto thought he was signalling for him to come closer, until a figure appeared beside him, and moved to accept the letter. The person wore the typical Anbu outfit, and had a neko mask, which hid her face completely. The only noticeable features which differentiated her from any other Anbu were her long purple hair, and the short sword she had slung around her hip.

"This letter needs to be sent to Jiraiya-kun immediately. I am giving this SS-Rank priority, with as many Anbu as you think are necessary. This information is vital, and I need you back here as soon as possible, with Jiraiya." Sarutobi delivered the commands firmly, and the woman immediately disappeared in a blur of motion. If the Anbu was at all surprised by the gravity of the letter, she did not show it. Naruto, on the other hand was unable to suppress his emotions nearly as well. His face morphed into a look of complete shock, and he was unable to form coherent words for almost ten seconds. In all honesty, Hiruzen had never seen the boy remain quiet for this long. "Naruto, are you okay?"

The boy stared straight at the Hokage for another moment, as he finally got over his thoughts. "Do you seriously think that this stuff is at SS-Rank level?" Any shinobi worth his salt knew about the ranking system; it was one of the first things you learnt about in the Academy. It went from D-Rank straight up to SSS-Rank, with most Kages and ninja of the same category being high S-Rank to low SS-Rank. For a mission to be SS-Rank meant it would be handled by at least three full Anbu squads, facing whom would be a daunting task for anyone.

Sarutobi smiled at the boy, pleased that he was still paying attention. "It is, trust me. Now, we need to see about deactivating your Rinnegan. It wouldn't do for you to be walking around with your eyes looking like that." The Hokage didn't go further on the topic, but Naruto knew what his Jiji meant. 'If any of the villagers saw me with weird purple eyes, they'd lose it.'

"Sure! How do we do it?" The boy asked, ignoring his grimmer thoughts. He was eager to learn anything Hokage-jiji was going to teach him.

"Just form the Horse sign for a moment, and then release it. That should dispel your chakra enough to prevent it from going to your eyes. Hopefully, that will work until we find a more permanent solution." He knew that with the boy's dismal chakra control, he would not be able to help the fact that sooner or later, he'd start channelling chakra back into his eyes.

Naruto immediately formed the sign, and held it for about twenty seconds. When he released it, he felt a sensation akin to a light head rush, and was able to notice that his vision grew less detailed. It wasn't blurry, rather it seemed just….normal. 'Nothing like the Rinnegan, that made me feel like I could see everything real close.'

Hiruzen was pleased with the boy, and also felt his own chest swell with pride. Naruto grinned back at the man, as he blinked rapidly to readjust to his vision. He then stepped away from the Hokage's desk and looked around the room, just to reorient himself. He almost made for the door, before stopping suddenly, and turning around to face the Hokage once more.

"When should I come back? I mean, to meet this training guy?" He asked, trying to hide his own excitement at the prospect of specialised training.

"Don't worry. At most, he will be here within a few hours." The man reassured, watching as the boy gave a quick nod. "For now, just go home and relax. I shall have you called as soon as your new sensei arrives."

The boy nodded again, before leaving the Hokage Tower. Hiruzen used his crystal ball to ensure the boy was going straight back to his apartment. He would have preferred to have the boy remain within his sight, but he didn't want to alarm the boy or reveal that he, the Hokage, was worried. But how could Hiruzen still stay calm? He had just discovered that Naruto, a child who was already the host of the Kyubi Jinchuriki, also possessed what was probably the most powerful doujutsu to exist. At that moment, he decided to take a page from one of his students' book, and pulled open his desk's drawer to reveal a few bottles of sake. There were times when all he needed was a good drink to get his mind off of some things, and this was certainly one of those times.

* * *

Naruto trusted the Hokage. He probably trusted the Hokage more than anyone else in the entire village. But he wanted to see what this Rinnegan did for himself. He made a quick stop at his apartment and nabbed one of his shinobi equipment bags. He then headed off to the training ground where Kakashi had told them to meet up. The boy had good reason to show up early, after all.

Once he arrived, he selected a training post. As was the usual, the posts had target markings carved into the woods, along with hacks and places where the wood had been chipped away by ninja during practice. If Naruto recalled correctly, the Hokage had once told him that these posts had to be changed every few months or so, because otherwise there wouldn't be anything left to hit.

Naruto drew a handful of shuriken, and then carefully channelled some chakra into his eyes. He stopped as soon as he saw his vision improved drastically, and was sure that the Rinnegan had been activated. 'Now let's see what these eyes can really do.' He was standing about fifty feet away from the training post, and after a second of taking aim, he flicked his wrist, and let the four shuriken fly.

Each of the small discs went straight to the target, and embedded themselves into the post. Three were all less than an inch away from the bullseye, and one was almost directly in the centre. Naruto grinned, and proceeded to pull out more shuriken. He couldn't believe his aim had improved so much already. He would usually have his shuriken land within the target, but they were never very close to the bullseye or even grouped together for that matter.

He tossed set after set of shuriken at the posts. 'I can't believe this. This has to be the best doujutsu ever.' He flicked both wrists, and sent a dozen shuriken zooming towards the wooden post. They struck true, and formed a tightly knit formation upon the post, very close to the bullseye. "Yes!" Naruto pointed toward the post. "Take that, Sasuke-teme! My doujutsu trumps yours in every way!" He pumped his fists in the air, and then moved to gather his shuriken from the wooden post.

Just as he had gathered the shuriken and replaced them in his pouch, he heard a familiar voice walking toward him. "Hey Naruto!" Naruto jumped slightly as he turned to face Sakura. "Oh, hi Sakura. What're you doing here so early?"

The girl came to a stop in front of the boy. "Well, I actually wanted to get some training done before the rest of the squad showed up, but it looks like I was still too late." The girl said as she felt a little downtrodden. After everything that happened in Wave, she had promised herself she'd try to take her career as a kunoichi more seriously. She had seen first-hand that it was a matter of life or death. So, she vowed to put in more effort than either of her team mates. She loathed to admit it, but both Naruto and Sasuke were leagues ahead of her already. She couldn't ever catch up to them unless she put in more work than they did.

She had decided to go to the training grounds early, and get some extra training in, only to see that Naruto was already there, already working harder than she was. 'Honestly, how can I put in more effort than these guys when they plan on doing the same. I can't even get a break.'

"Then there isn't a point in sulking, is there? I've already started with some shurikenjutsu practice, so we can just work on that, eh?" Naruto asked, as he began moving away from the targets. "C'mon Sakura. We'll even see who throws the best. What do you say?"

She briefly considered it, before deciding that she didn't have anything better to do, and she did plan on training in any case. Some competition wouldn't be too bad.

"Ok, though I'm not gonna let you win." She joined him, and once they were at a suitable distance from the posts, they both pulled out their shuriken. "On the count of three. One, two, three!" Just as he finished the countdown, both Genin let a flurry of shuriken loose at the posts.

* * *

Jiraiya of the Sannin was a pervert – or a 'super pervert', as he always wished to be referred to as. He wrote smut, he fucked whores, and life was good. For the most part.

There were times when he would reminisce about his old squad, or his student Minato, and at those times he would finally understand Tsunade's sake problems. But these days, it was all getting even harder to stomach. He hadn't been to Konoha very often since his student had died, despite Sarutobi's badgering. But he was growing tired of being away from home, even if he would never admit it. And he was almost sure that even Sarutobi was growing tired of asking him to return to the village, judging by the lack of letters he'd received over the past few months. Maybe he'd send a letter to Sarutobi himself once he reached Takunomi town. 'After a bit of research, of course.'

The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he mentally braced himself for combat, but didn't bother turning around. He didn't want whoever was after him to believe they had lost the element of surprise. 'Not like they're really trying, anyway.'

A group of shinobi descended from the trees around him, and formed a small circle around him. All of them wore familiar Konoha headbands, and Anbu masks. Jiraiya counted twelve around him, and he was sure that there were more hiding in the foliage, ready to assist if need be. Five of the shinobi pulled out fuinjutsu seals, which Jiraiya immediately recognised to be privacy seals of a surprisingly high level. "What is the meaning of this?"

An Anbu wearing a neko mask stepped forward and knelt in front of the Sannin. "Forgive us, Lord Jiraiya, but we are following the standard protocol for a SS-Rank secret. The Hokage has sent you a message."

Jiraiya had to keep his jaw from falling slack. 'An SS-Rank secret. The last one of those we had was that Kushina was pregnant.'

The Anbu finally completed the privacy seals, and Neko then pulled out a note from a storage seal and gave it to the Sannin. Jiraiya grabbed it and immediately began to read through it.

As soon as he had read it over twice, he used a fire jutsu to burn the note to a crisp. He then turned to the Neko Anbu. "When was this dispatched?"

"Two hours and twenty- three minutes ago, Lord Jiraiya. We were told to find you as fast as possible, and it wasn't an easy task."

Jiraiya nodded. "All of you, return to Konoha immediately. I will see you there."

Neko seemed hesitant to do so, but protested nonetheless. "We have been given orders to escort you back, Lord Jiraiya."

Jiraiya groaned with annoyance. "Look, all I know is that I don't have time to go slow for you guys. See you back in Konoha."

The Anbu moved to stop him, only for the Sannin to fly through hand signs as he moved away from the Anbu. He bit his thumb and smeared some blood across his right hand, before slamming it into the ground.

A cloud of smoke masked the entire group, and by the time it cleared up, the Sannin was nowhere to be seen.

Neko gritted her teeth, before calling the rest of the Anbu to gather. "We will fall back immediately. For all we know, Lord Jiraiya has already arrived in Konoha."

With those simple orders, the group of Anbu began to remove the privacy seals, and then began their journey back to Konoha. Not a single sign of their meeting remained.

* * *

Jiraiya stepped into the Hokage office through his preferred method – via window – and turned toward his sensei.

"Ah, Jiraiya. It's been some time, hasn't it?" Hiruzen said as he leaned back in his chair. He was considerably inebriated by this point, and an empty sake bottle lay on his table.

"We can play catch up later, sensei. First tell me if the note you sent me was true." Jiraiya asked, as he picked up the bottle. It was drained dry, just as he had expected.

Hiruzen tried to straighten himself up a little, as he faced his student. "It's true, Jiraiya. Naruto has the Rinnegan. And I expect you to train him now." Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "But can't you have someone else train him, like Kakashi, or some of the Hyuugas. They are way more used to doujutsu than I am."

"They have never seen the Rinnegan, Jiraiya. They wouldn't have the foggiest idea of what to do." Hiruzen took a moment to light his pipe. "You, on the other hand, are perhaps the best equipped person for this task in all of the Elemental Nations. Especially as you have already trained one person who had the Rinnegan."

Jiraiya chuckled bitterly, as he seemed to almost immediately age by several years. "That didn't end up too well, sensei, and I don't know if the same will happen to Naruto. Evidently, I failed to train Nagato properly."

Hiruzen took a soothing drag from his pipe, realizing that Jiraiya might be a tougher egg to crack. "It was a time of war. People died all around. They may not have deserved it, but it happened nonetheless, and you should not punish yourself and Naruto for this."

"In any case, you are well aware that the Chunin exams will be held in Konoha, and they will begin in about a month. It would be idiotically optimistic of us to believe that the truth regarding Naruto's doujutsu will remain hidden when multiple shinobi attend from all over the Nations. We have our time limit, Jiraiya. Within a month, I need you to turn Naruto into a shinobi capable of protecting himself from stronger threats. He isn't neccessarily weak, at the moment, but he is still a newly minted Genin."

Jiraiya remained headstrong, however. "And what if I do not accept? I'm a field ninja, so I'm already living outside of Konoha. You can't exactly banish me. And even if you try to take me down by force, it won't be easy Sarutobi-sensei."

Hiruzen sighed. "I know you want to train the boy, Jiraiya. He is Minato's son. You should have been his godfather and sensei regardless. Him having a doujutsu does not change anything." Another long drag. "He needs your help, or he will be dead or kidnapped before the Chunin exams are complete. We cannot interfere directly in the matters of the exams."

The two remained silent for several moments, as Jiraiya merely glared at the Hokage. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. And his sensei knew exactly what to say to convince him. "If I'm doing this, I'm going to need access to at least three private training grounds. I will also be needing a private hospital room for the boy prepared in advance if the need arises."

Hiruzen nodded. "That is easily arrangeable. Anything else?"

"Nope, Sarutobi-sensei, that should be all." Jiraiya said as he rose from his seat. "Now, I guess I can introduce myself to my godson."

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure that your information is accurate?" Asked a man with a croaky voice.

"Yes, my lord. I have verified it, as has the rest of the squad. It is definitely the Rinnegan that the boy has."

The man leaned back in his chair, considering the words of the ninja kneeling before him. "Anything else of importance to report?"

"Multiple teams of the Anbu were sent on an urgent mission by the Hokage himself, and 2 hours and 25 minutes later, Jiraiya of the Sannin was seen appearing outside of the Hokage Tower." The ninja responded.

'Interesting.' "Very well," The man said dismissively. "From now on take an additional squad with you, and keep a closer eye upon the Jinchuriki. I want detailed reports on him. What he does, what he eats, when he pisses and when he sneezes. I need everything, understood?" The man demanded. The ninja merely nodded in reply. "And have another team keep an eye on Jiraiya. That old monkey is up to something, and I need to know what."

The ninja disappeared, and another took his place. "Will there be any action taken, my lord?

The man remained quiet as he thought over it. The Jinchuriki had already been given too much independence before this point, and it would be detrimental for our vilage if he continues to grow stronger at this rate. Naruto had also been on an official mission, and had proven himself to be stronger than either he or Sarutobi could have expected.

"I need you to take a solo messenger mission of the utmost importance. I need you to go to the village hidden by the sound, and tell Orochimaru that I must speak with him regarding something of the utmost importance. Tell him that I will give him ten fresh bodies to experiment on for his complete cooperation."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys and gals! It's been a while, and I apologise profusely.**

**For the past few months, a combination of now having online classes, the quarantine and being sick a lot in between caused me to suffer from a major writer's block. I would literally try to write for more than an hour, but would end up writing just a few hundred words. It was a really terrible time, but thankfully its over, and I can only pray to The Log and the muse gods that nothing of the sort strikes again.**

**Now, more about the story. I am not completely sure of the direction I want pairings to go, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, I will definitely consider them. I don't want to do a generic NaruHina ****fic, even if I like the pairing. So tell me what you guys think of that. **

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please follow and favourite, and if you have any queries, please PM or review. Trust me, on this site reviews are the best form of inspiration. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't.**

**Finally, I will hopefully be bringing in more updates. I also updated one of my Harry Potter stories a day or so ago. I am not sure which story gets the next update, but it will not be too long of a wait.**

**So stay safe guys, and I guess that is a wrap!**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, he's obviously getting along with the Rinnegan."

Jiraiya felt a strange amalgam of pride and sadness as he watched Naruto continue to outdo both himself and his female teammate. The girl managed to get most of her shuriken decently close to the centre of the target, and had even shown some minor improvements over the last hour, but Naruto was on a completely different level. The Sannin could tell that he was barely focusing on his aim, yet he rarely missed the bullseye. The amazing show of skill made Jiraiya remember how incredibly powerful the Rinnegan truly was. "Maybe making him battle-ready won't be as difficult as sensei thinks." He turned his attention back to the field when he heard the girl yell with frustration.

"This is useless! We've been at this for hours, and my aim isn't getting any better." Sakura complained, as she once more pulled her shuriken out of the training post. "How do you even manage to throw so well? I never knew you were this good back in the Academy."

Naruto grinned bashfully, as he scratched the scruff of his neck. "I guess I have been putting more effort into this stuff recently, but there's nothing to worry about. Practice makes perfect, and that's all there is to it." Naruto didn't feel too good about lying to his teammate, but even he understood the gravity of the situation he was in. He had to stay quiet about the Rinnegan for as long as the Hokage wanted him to. "C'mon, let's give it another shot, eh?"

Sakura grumbled a little, but got back to the throwing side of the field nonetheless. She took a moment to correct her footwork and posture, before turning to the target and taking aim. The blond did the same with his own target. "Three...two...one...throw!" Sakura announced as she sent her shuriken flying through the air, directed at the bullseye.

The blond focused his chakra to his eyes, allowing his Rinnegan to activate momentarily. He then took aim, and tossed his shuriken. Immediately after, he formed a subtle horse seal, and deactivated the Rinnegan. It was a slightly tiring process, but Naruto thought it was worth it to make sure his Rinnegan remained a secret - even from his team mate. On the plus side, he was getting much better at turning his doujutsu on and off at will.

The ten shuriken that Naruto sent flying managed to find a spot on or around the very centre of the target. Jiraiya noted that the one that was the furthest would have been dead-center if it was a mere half inch higher. Sakura's weren't as close, but Jiraiya believed it was the best performance he had seen from her today. The one furthest from the bullseye was only two inches off, and the girl had even managed to get two to hit the bullseye.

"There we go!" The girl shouted triumphantly as she raced across the field to gather her shuriken. "You see that Naruto? Now that's real improvement!" She exclaimed excitedly. Naruto couldn't help but grin as well. "I told ya', practice makes perfect."

Sakura nodded in acknowledgement, however she quickly grew a little sullen, as she fingered the shuriken in her palm. "I just wish Sasuke-kun had been here to see that. It'd be nice if he knew I'm not as useless as he thinks I am." Naruto also felt a little hurt at the mention of the Uchiha. 'Heh, what'd I expect. He's bound to still be the centre of everyone's attention.' Jiraiya felt a small pang in his own heart as he saw the result of the girl mentioning the third member of the Genin squad - or more specifically, the effect it had on Naruto. "Damn, the kid has it bad."

"That isn't true Sakura. I know you aren't useless, and I'm sure Sasuke doesn't either. Every member of Team Seven is important." Naruto said, as he tried to raise her spirits. "Soon enough, we'll be as strong as Hokage-jiji, believe it!"

Sakura nodded once more, as she forgot her exhaustion, and gained a renewed sense of determination. "I don't know about that, but the least we can do is try our best. I really haven't been giving my training nearly as much time as I should have been." With that, the girl turned back to face the target, and prepared to throw her shuriken once more. She didn't notice the small smile on Naruto's face.

Jiraiya yawned, before pulling out a small notebook which he always kept with him to write his novels in. He expected to be here for quite a while, and watching the Genin toss shuriken around was honestly quite like watching paint dry. He had no idea how the squad of Root Anbu watching him were keeping themselves preoccupied. He had sensed them the second they entered the field - he wasn't the village's best at stealth for nothing, after all. It had taken him a few minutes to find out whether they were here for him or Naruto, but he was now sure they were sent to observe him. 'I'll have to ask sensei about them, because I am sure that Root is still supposed to be inactive.'

* * *

It was another hour later that Sasuke Uchiha arrived, and by that time Sakura and Naruto had stopped their practice. Sakura had grown too exhausted to continue, whereas Naruto had simply grown a little bored. For the next fifteen minutes Sakura tried to talk to Sasuke about training, and was even curious about the Uchiha's methods. To be honest, Naruto was a tad curious himself, considering the fact that Sasuke never trained with the squad in the training grounds -he had always chosen to use the grounds in the Uchiha compound. However, Sasuke remained tightlipped regarding any such details, claiming that any such training methods were Uchiha clan secrets. Both Naruto and Sakura understood the great importance placed upon such matters, despite not being members of any clans themselves. So they had just remained in an uncomfortable silence until their sensei finally arrived.

The Genin would have complained, but they had honestly grown accustomed to their sensei's lackadaisical approach to punctuality. Plus, they were much more interested with the set of forms the man held in his hands when he approached them.

"So, what are those for, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, though all three of them had been thinking along the same lines.

Kakashi gave them one of his mischievous smiles - for which the Genin still did not understand how they were visible despite his mask - and responded in a jolly tone. "These are the registration forms for the Chunin exams, which will be beginning in about a month. And these are for you in case you want to sign up."

Naruto was a little confused as his sensei passed the forms around. "Chunin exams?"

Sakura sighed. "C'mon Naruto, even you must remember how ninja are promoted from just Genin. I thought you wanted to become Hokage. That isn't going to happen if you stay a Genin."

Naruto blanched as he glanced from his teammate to his sensei for confirmation. "She's right you know. You need to be of Jonin rank or above to be made Hokage, and the most common way to go up the ranks is taking the exams."

Naruto quickly looked over the forms once. "Well, if that's the case, sign me up! There's no way I'm going to skip a chance to get closer to being Hokage." Jiraiya couldn't help but grin at the enthusiasm the kid had.

"There isn't a reason to rush a decision. We'll all meet up next week, in this spot. If you're sure, just sign on the forms and hand them in to me by next week. Participating in these exams can be very dangerous, so you should carefully consider your choice." The sensei explained. He then leaned forward and his smile vanished immediately. The three Genin felt an oppressive aura fall upon them as they almost keeled over. "But...if any one of you choose to not participate, none of you will participate in the exams this year, no matter what." He spoke in a voice that was uncharacteristically serious for the Jonin, and told of an aspect which his students had only ever seen from him in battle. All three of them gulped as the feeling slowly let up, allowing them to breathe a little more freely. Within seconds, he was once again all smiles. "So, the decision is all yours, my cute little Genin."

With that simple instruction, the Jonin proceeded to walk away from the three Genin. "I'll see all of you next time, with your decisions. Bye till then." Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves, and left behind no other trace.

An uncomfortable silence quickly settled over the team, which was broken by Sakura. "So, Sasuke-kun, do you plan on participating in the Chunin exams?"

The Uchiha grunted. "My brother became Chunin at the age of ten. As far as I am concerned, I'm already two years behind. Not only do I plan on participating, but I also plan on being promoted." With that, he turned to the path Kakashi took and followed suit, leaving only Naruto and a considerably upset Sakura standing in the field.

"What about you, Sakura?" Naruto asked. "Do you think you'll be taking part?"

The girl seemed hesitant but nodded. "I'm pretty sure I will. So I guess that settles the matter."

Naruto grinned. "That's great. Do you want to train some more? I was going to work on practicing jutsu." The boy asked hopefully. He wasn't sure why, but Sakura hadn't gotten angry at him for the entire two hours they had spent training together, which was something really strange for the two. But there was no way he would look a gift horse in the mouth or anything.

Sakura shook her head. "N-no, I think I'll call it a day. I honestly still feel tired, so I'll just head home for today." Truthfully, she was also facing a huge dilemma of her own. She was torn between participating in the exams and not doing so. She knew that if she backed out, she'd be letting down her team mates. Naruto saw these exams as a chance to get closer to his dreams, and Sasuke-kun might never forgive her for interfering in his quest for revenge. She did not want to draw herself further away from the object of her affection. But she also knew that she was nowhere near Sasuke and Naruto's level just yet, and that she might even end up being a burden to them in the exams. "Today's training seems like a good place to stop."

Naruto forced a smile. "Sure. Maybe some other time, I guess." He was a little upset, but he wasn't about to focus on that. Not today, after the huge change that had happened in his life.

Once Sakura had also left, Naruto decided to practice his ninjutsu. He'd ask Kakashi-sensei or the new 'specialist trainer' he would get for some cool, badass jutsu later, but he also wanted to see if having the Rinnegan helped him be better at the jutsu he already knew. He remembered that Kakashi had mentioned to Sasuke that with the Sharingan he'd be able to perform his jutsu better. It wasn't a huge change, but it was enough to make a difference. The blond crossed two fingers from each hand in his favourite hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In small puffs of smoke, a large crowd of shadow clones popped up around the boy. Naruto counted the clones - this was way more tedious than Naruto thought it would be, since his clones had obviously inherited his mischievous streak - but he soon confirmed that there were exactly one hundred and fifty. And Naruto was very happy with that. The Genin knew that he could create a far greater amount of clones too if need be, but what made him so proud was the fact that there were exactly one hundred and fifty clones, as that was the exact number he had focused on creating. He had discovered in the past that the accuracy of the number of the clones he produced decreased as the desired number grew greater. If he tried for ten, he'd get exactly ten clones, but when he tried to make around a hundred or more, he'd usually be off from the exact number. "This is a first." He also noticed that making all of the clones had barely made a dent in his chakra reserves. He could only imagine what a major threat he'd be on the battlefield if he could just send out hundreds of clones without needing any help from the Kyuubi. "It looks like the Rinnegan gave me more chakra."

"Well, that isn't true to be precise, kiddo."

The one hundred and fifty one Naruto's all drew two kunai each, looking around the training grounds in an attempt to locate the voice. Naruto felt his pride sting a little at having allowed someone to sneak up so close without detection. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Naruto's eyes moved from left to right quickly as he tried to ascertain the position of whoever was watching him. A soft foot step behind him alerted him to a presence. He spun around with his kunai in hand, wondering how someone had gotten so close to him without any of his clones noticing, only to hit thin air.

The man who had been watching him now stood ten feet away, and was smirking madly. "Not bad kid. If I was asleep you might have actually gotten me." The white haired man said casually.

The first thing that sent alarm bells ringing in the boy's head was the fact that the man had a strange headband on. It read 'Oil', and that was something Naruto had never heard of, but it wasn't Konoha. The man also wore a green kimono with matching pants, though the top was shorter than most kimonos. Naruto was sure that must be to allow ease and movement during a fight. He even had a mesh undershirt for extra protection, and a red haori on top of it all. A large green scroll was slung from his back. The final thing which completed the rather bizarre get up were wooden sandals. They had long been put out of use by most shinobi, in exchange for the more reliable and comfortable running sandals. "What's the matter brat? Not used to hitting targets that can actually move?"

Naruto snarled. "Who are you?" The old man did nothing, but Naruto soon heard multiple familiar popping sounds from behind him, as well as feeling his mind flood up with memories of fighting someone. He turned around to see a copy of the old man decimating his clones within seconds.

The man destroyed the first line with multiple sets of shuriken, which were so fast that the clones barely even realised what was happening. The man then proceeded to launch into a series of punches and kicks, sending the clones flying into the air for a few milliseconds until they burst into clouds of smokes. The number flew down from one hundred and fifty to fifty before Naruto even realised what was happening.

The last fifty realised that they wouldn't be having any luck by going against him one at a time, so they all rushed at him together. The clone merely gave them a smug look, as he knelt down and formed hand signs. "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!" The man's long white hair elongated even further, and wrapped around him in a protective shell. But that was only the start of it. His hair then shot out at the clones like senbon, piercing them and causing them to explode.

The hair softened and receded to reveal the man completely unfazed. He then blew up in a similar cloud of smoke. "You're not the only person who knows how to use that nifty jutsu." The original said from behind the Genin. "But I will admit that I don't know many people who can make as many as you just did."

Naruto gritted his teeth. This guy was strong, very strong. And Naruto was now feeling a sliver of fear.

"What's the matter brat? Didn't Sarutobi-sensei tell you I'd be here soon?" Jiraiya asked.

The boy's eyes widened. "W-Wait, are you supposed to be my new sensei?"

The old man grinned. "Well, I sure as hell ain't here to kick your ass all day." And he then looked right into Naruto's eyes. He had seen the boy using them for the last few hours, but seeing it up close crushed any chances that the entire situation was a misunderstanding. He would have recognised those lilac eyes anywhere. "That's the Rinnegan for sure."

Naruto was in a stunned silence. This guy was good! He must be really strong, and have some really cool jutsu on top of that. "Hey, old man, can you teach me that jutsu that you did with your hair? That looked really cool!"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Old man? I'm no old man Naruto, I am Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin, the Toad Sage, and the ultimate super pervert." He leapt into the air, and summoned a large toad, as if to prove his point. Naruto however, wasn't too impressed. "Another pervert? Is this a common theme for strong ninja?"

Jiraiya was nonplussed by the comment. "And as for that jutsu, you won't be learning that any time soon." The blond was cut off before he got a chance to complain. "If I train you, it will be properly, from the basics." Naruto deflated somewhat, but he was still excited for any training he might get. "But it won't be easy, let me warn you."

Naruto scoffed. "Well, that's good, because I don't wanna train any other way." He puffed out his chest as if to support his statement. "So, what do we start with?"

The question threw Jiraiya for a loop. "Actually, I thought that we could take today to just introduce ourselves to one another and begin training from tomorrow. I actually had something to do in the village today." The man admitted, giggling as he could only think of the 'research' he could conduct now that he was in the village. The mere thought of all the girls who had doubtlessly bloomed into very, very hot women was almost enough to cause a nosebleed. The Genin, however, was not impressed. "Is this thing you have to do more important than training me, old man?"

The Sannin was about to snap at the boy, and reprimand him from insulting his thorough - and very enjoyable - observation of the nude female form when he looked straight into the blond's eyes. Or right into the Rinnegan, to be precise. For the second he did, his mind was flooded with memories of his first three students. The three students he had let down. Over the decades, he had often wondered if those Ame kids would still be alive today if he trained them better. And that was all he could think of as he looked into the same Rinnegan eyes. "U-Uh, no. We can start your training now if you're up for it." He then smacked the boy over the head. "But you better not call me old again. If anyone in this village is old, it's Sarutobi-sensei."

Naruto shrugged off the comment. "What are you going to train me to do first? Saying they'll be the basics doesn't exactly tell me everything."

"We'll be starting with some simple non-elemental jutsu, and testing your chakra control. I have a couple of theories for that, but I want to test them nonetheless. But if we're going to be doing that, we need a body of water first."

The boy was about to suggest that they head over to the hot springs as that was the closest body of water in the village, but he was left awestruck when the Sannin just turned to the centre of the field and began to prepare a jutsu. A second later, the man began to spew water out of his mouth at a ferocious speed, and the spout literally dug itself a hole in the ground. By the time the man was done, a three metre wide pool of muddy water was present in front of the two.

"Th-That was amazing! How'd you do it?"

Jiraiya sighed. "It doesn't take much to impress you, does it kid. That's just an advanced water style jutsu I learnt when my 'research' took me over to Water Country. This was before the civil war, mind you, but that's a tale for another time." He then walked over to the pond and stepped onto the water, and began to literally walk on water. "We're gonna begin your training with water-walking."

Naruto fell his jaw drop. "R-Really!" The Genin had seen Kakashi do so in his fight against Zabuza, but he had been sure that was a much more advanced jutsu that he'd learn later on. To be told that was what they were starting with was a game changer. He shook his head to focus on the matter on hand. "How do I get started?"

"To be honest, it's a lot like tree-walking. You just channel chakra to your feet and use that to stand on the water. The only difference is that the water is constantly moving below you, so you need to change the flow of chakra to make sure that you stay on top." He then walked back onto the earth. "Think of the dirt as a little incentive. The better you do, the less times you have to fall into the pond."

"Well, if that's the case, I guess I won't be getting dirty at all!" He boasted confidently, as he walked to the water, and focused some chakra into the soles of his feet, trying to imitate what he did when he would walk up a tree. He then stepped onto the water. And it worked. He felt a little wobbly, sure, but he was standing on water! "See, old man, I told you it'd w-ugh!"

Jiraiya doubled over, chuckling inconsolably as he watched the kid floundering in the water. "You sure you got it?" Naruto only grumbled as he got out of the pond, tugging at the wet jumpsuit that was now clinging to his form. "But it was working, wasn't it? What'd I do wrong?"

Jiraiya smirked as he raised an eyebrow. "Absolutely nothing. You seem to already have a pretty good idea of what you need, so I guess you just need some more practice. So go ahead."

The blond nodded, and immediately leaped back onto the water. As the Sannin observed, his thoughts were firing off many questions in his mind. 'He definitely has improved chakra control, just like Nagato. No wonder he'll have water-walking down pat in a few minutes.' But that realisation still left Jiraiya in a quandary. He had no idea where to start with the boy's training when it came to the Rinnegan. He knew of certain abilities that the Rinnegan granted, such as a complete affinity for all five elements, as well as some of the gravity based jutsu. He also knew that the Rinnegan allowed the user to absorb chakra from others and from jutsu. 'I'll have him begin learning some of the basics for elemental chakra moulding and some jutsu. Maybe I can even ask the Toads if I can teach him the frog katas.' Jiraiya had seen the boy's clones attack his own clone, and their form had been absolutely atrocious. The kid wouldn't last a second against someone who actually knew any taijutsu. 'But he sure has shadow clones in spades to back him up.'

Then a thought struck him, and he felt giddy as he formed a quick theory. 'If I'm right, the boat's training will be a breeze. Those shadow clones of his might be of more use than simply being cannon fodder. "Hey, Naruto come over here."

The blond looked up at his new teacher, a look of glee on his face. "Sure!" He took a steady step on the water, and when he didn't fall through, he ran to land. The Sannin had evidently been right when he said he had gotten the hang of it, as his second try had proven much more successful. "Did you see that old man? That wasn't too hard."

"Usually, that would have taken a person much longer, maybe even a few days to get down. But as it is, your Rinnegan has quite a few amazing perks. One of them is improved chakra control. Your mind is able to take such fine control of the chakra you send to your feet, that something like walking on water is just a breeze for you. That chakra control is also why you did better with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu earlier. More control meant you only used as much chakra as needed, and only made as much clones as you wanted."

Naruto grinned as he scratched his cheek. "Guess I'm just that cool, eh?"

Jiraiya's expression grew stern. "No need to go and grow cocky, Naruto. You may have gotten much stronger thanks to the Rinnegan, but it isn't going to win you all of your battles. You need to train with it, and you need to learn how to fight without it. Otherwise, you aren't going to be able to protect yourself or anyone you actually care about." Naruto grew a little confused. "I-I know, which is why I know I'll have to train myself. But the Rinnegan is still a huge part of it. I mean, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans are also famous because of their doujutsu, aren't they?"

Jiraiya sighed. "That's true, but that isn't the case for the best of the best. The ninja who truly go down in history don't just rely on one thing." He explained. "The Rinnegan should be a tool for you. It shouldn't be a crutch for you to rely on." He noticed that Naruto was still having some trouble wrapping his head around the idea. "Let's put it this way: what would you do if someone took your Rinnegan away."

Naruto's eyes widened in horror, as he raised his hand towards his face defensively. Jiraiya continued. "It has happened before, you know. It's actually how your sensei got his Sharingan, though he took it with the consent of an Uchiha friend of his. But enemy shinobi have also taken the doujutsu of Konoha ninja before, either as a trophy or to study it and try to recreate it." Jiraiya's face hardened as he looked at his new student. He wanted to make sure he knew that having the Rinnegan wouldn't be all sunshine and daisies. "What would you do if you were forced to give up on everything that matters to you, just because you lose the Rinnegan at some point?"

Naruto didn't have an answer, and Jiraiya honestly didn't expect one any ways. "That's why, you need to understand that Naruto Uzumaki isn't just the guy with the Rinnegan. You need to become someone along with that, because there are going to be people who could beat you, Rinnegan or not. No student of mine is going to be a one-trick pony." The boy seemed somber at this point, and Jiraiya was sure he was mulling over everything he'd just been told.

However, Naruto responded much more excitedly than Jiraiya had expected. "If that's the case, then I just have to put in twice as much training, one part for the myself, and one part for the Rinnegan. Naruto Uzumaki doesn't give up, no matter what, believe it!" He wasn't grinning in his usual manner. He actually seemed to have steel his features, and his eyes were ablaze with a fiery determination that the Sannin would recognise anywhere. 'Just like his father.'

Jiraiya cleared his thought to regain the boy's attention. "I might actually have a solution to your problem about having to put in more time than usual. And if my plan works, you might not have to worry about putting in time for training for quite a while."

Something that could help along with his training? Now this was something that could get Naruto's interest. "What is it?"

Jiraiya leaned forward, almost conspiratorially, before whispering. "With Shadow Clones."

Naruto huffed. "How does that help me with my training? I already know how to do make Shadow Clones pretty well, and I'm even better at it with the Rinnegan. Don't really see how that'll help me." This earned him a smart smack over the head. "Hey!"

Jiraiya crossed his arms. "That isn't what I mean, brat. You can have your shadow clones do your training for you, so that you learn whatever they learn. It's a bit of an extra benefit added to the fact that they transfer memories back to the original."

Naruto was pretty sure every human had an in built maximum capacity for the amount of shock they could go through within the span of twenty-four hours before enough is enough. He failed to understand how he hadn't reached that point yet. "B-But, what?! How was I supposed to know that I could get the clones' training. I only found out about the memory thing yesterday! Wait, how does that work?! Do I just become as strong as the clone?! Does that work for other things like sleep as well?!"

Jiraiya sighed and pressed down on his temples. 'This kid is a handful to say the least.' "Calm down kid, let's take it one question at a time. Evidently, whoever taught you that jutsu didn't take the effort to explain to you how it works."

"Actually, I learnt it myself."

This caused the Sannin to pause. From what he knew, Naruto hadn't been the best student at the Academy. He'd even been held back twice because he couldn't get the Bunshin no Jutsu right. That made sense, considering the fact that he had horrendous chakra control from the Academy reports. But the kid learning a kinjutsu without any guidance didn't really match up with the rest of the information. He had a lot to discuss with his sensei once he got hold of the old man.

"Well, that would do it. So, time for a quick crash course. The Shadow Clone is actually meant for advanced and dangerous scouting missions for the most part. A ninja can send out a clone to learn information, and when the clone sees or learns something important, it can dispel itself and send all the information to the original person. This allows recon in high-level, dangerous missions for the most part, to prevent unnecessary loss of life. And the same thing can work for training. If you make a clone and have it, say, read a book or something, you'll get the memories of the clone having read the books, and you'll know what was in the books," He grinned. "That is if anything can actually get through that thick skull of yours. You will essentially have twice the time, and you can add that math over to training, along with the number of clones you can make."

At any other time, Naruto would have refuted that claim very vocally. But at the moment, he was just stunned. "But, if you can do that, why doesn't everyone train like that?"

Jiraiya grinned once more. "That's why you're special, kid. Most people can make just a couple dozen clones and can't keep them active for too long. That's one of the biggest drawbacks of the jutsu. Using them for training just isn't practical. But you have enough chakra to make hundreds of clones, and still have spades to spare. That's enough clones to make a big difference. This isn't something people can just do."

Naruto grew a little sheepish as being referred to as special, but that line of thought was soon replaced by curiosity. He drew his hands up in his favourite hand sign, and cried out. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Ten clones popped up around him, all with similar smirks of determination on their faces. "All of you, try doing that water-walking thing."

"Yes Boss!" The small crowd pushed and charged at the pond, and slowly stepped onto it, wobbling a little. Once they had a steady footing, they began to take cautious steps around the pond, and tried to improve their dexterity with the task. Jiraiya only watched with amazement. "Kid, if this works, you have no idea how lucky you are. The possibilities are endless! You and your clones could do so much, from strategy study, to learning jutsu and chakra control improvement, all at the same time." He went on. "And you'll be well-prepared to defend yourself from anyone who'll want to kill you, or worse, capture you." The Sannin then looked over to the pond. "There's only one way to know if it even works."

Naruto was about to ask the man what he meant, when he saw a flash of metal fly to his clones. Each one burst into a cloud of smoke, and Naruto felt a dull throb in his head, as he recalled everything the clones had just done.

"Now, why don't you give water-walking another go?" The Sannin said.

Naruto walked to the pond, and stepped onto the water. He then did what his clones had been doing, and began walking around on top of the water. It all came very easily to him, and he was soon leaping around on the water's surface, testing his ability. His clones had given him enough experience to be decently proficient on top of the pond. "This, this is amazing!" The boy yelled out, as he jumped back onto the ground. "If my training goes on like this, I'll be Hokage in no time." _'That'll show Sasuke who the loser really is.'_

Outwardly, the Sannin chuckled in response to the vigour of his new student, but his mind was not in it. _'Naruto will be able to grow stronger over the next few weeks, but I don't know if that'll be enough. The kid's obviously in over his head. He doesn't recognise his eyes for the damned curse they are.'_ And the Sannin was right. Villages had clashed and conflicted for lesser eyes. The first example that came to mind was how Kumo's attempt to steal the Byakugan had resulted in the death of a shinobi from both villages, with those shinobi being very powerful people, both physically and politically. And as far as the Toad Sage was concerned, the Byakugan was nothing but a child's plaything compared to the Rinnegan. He could only imagine how desperate the other village's would be to get a child, who is both the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, and has the Rinnegan. _'I'm just glad we have been able to keep the situation contained. Kumo alone would have sent hordes of their best to get him.'_

The Sannin was drawn from his thoughts when he saw the boy jumping up and down in front of him. "Helllooo! Anyone in there, old man?" Jiraiya grunted good-naturedly. "Cut it out brat. Now, what were you rattling on about?"

Naruto harrumphed. "Some sensei you are? I want to know what we're gonna be doing next." The boy then looked to the Toad Sage, a touch _(read: tonne)_ of impatience in his voice. "I mean, now that I've already got a hang of the water-walking."

Jiraiya raised a hand to brush his chin. "I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to get done with that this soon."

"Thanks for the faith, old man."

Jiraiya ignored the interruption. "I guess that makes the rest of the day off." The man's face suddenly brightened up immensely. "Which means I still have time before dark to do my research!" He turned back to Naruto. "Why don't you just practice more of the water-walking, really get it right? We can start on something tomorrow, 8 AM, same spot."

Naruto was about to retort, not wanting to keep on doing something he already seemed to be doing well enough, but Jiraiya had already disappeared in a blur of movement. The blond clenched his teeth with annoyance. "Lazy old man..."

He turned back to the pond, and as looked at the murky surface, he got an idea. He grinned triumphantly and formed the hand sign for what was now definitely his favourite jutsu. Twenty clones popped up around him, and all of them had annoyed looks on their own faces. The original only smirked. "You know what to do."

The clones groaned, but moved onto the water nonetheless, mumbling about cruel, lazy bosses. Naruto proceeded to leisurely walk away from the training field. _'Guess I might as well go get some ramen for now. I could get used to this clones thing.'_

* * *

The Root ninja should have felt a strong sense of foreboding settle over him as he entered the dark, underground corridor that led to the base of a known criminal. However, his conditioning held strong, and the only thing that mattered to him was completing his objective.

"So, do you shitheads ever talk, or are all of you just dead bitches?" Asked his guide. She had met him at the designated rendezvous point and had then blindfolded him while they walked into the base. Orochimaru was almost as paranoid as his own master. The woman had been speaking almost non-stop since they had met, and lacked any of the necessary conviction or tact of a true ninja.

"Excessive talking is usually unnecessary for missions." Was the simple reply he could offer. It was precise, to the point, and easy to understand. Danzo always stressed upon how efficiency was one of a ninja's greatest weapons.

Tayuya could only sigh. "Figures that any company I get here is practically braindead. Though I'll admit, you aren't worse than the rest of the dickbags holed up in here." She finally stopped in front of a door. "He's in there, and he's expecting you. Just go on in." She said as she pushed the door open. "Oh, and a quick tip. If you want to get out of there alive, quit that tough guy, silence act. He doesn't take that shit well." The woman moved back down the same corridor, leaving the Anbu member alone in the eerie hall. He went into the room, and saw that it was some sort of laboratory room. Medical instruments were also strewn across the various tables and counters. However, what caught his attention the most was the unconscious man lying naked on a gurney, tied down by leather belts over his chest and legs. His hair was white, despite him obviously being younger than thirty, and his structure was pale and gaunt.

"Ah, seems you have met Kimimaru." A soft, deadly voice whispered from behind him. The ninja turned around to see the man he had come to meet, standing just a few feet away from him. His training should have allowed him to sense any enemy from a much greater distance. But then again, Orochimaru of the Sannin was not just any enemy. "Poor Kimimaru was promising. Very, very much so. But he was not strong enough. Quite...unfortunate." The criminal's voice betrayed the fact that he didn't seem to feel it was as unfortunate as he claimed. But they were getting off track. The Anbu pulled out a small scroll, and offered it to the Sannin. "This is the word of the Root."

Orochimaru accepted the note, and quickly perused it. As he read through it, his eyes widened halfway through. It was after ten minutes - the Anbu estimated approximately twelve readings of the notice - that the man looked at him once more. "And Danzo is certain of this?"

"Yes. Multiple agents reported having seen the child and his abilities with their own eyes. The subject is being monitored at this moment as well."

Orochimaru's face turned into a cruel grin. "Well, Danzo will be pleased to know that I shall accept his offer."

The Anbu member nodded. "I shall return the message with haste." He turned to leave the room, only to be halted by a laugh.

"Who said anything about returning?" The ninja felt his instincts command him to get away, but before he could process any thought, he felt a hand wrap around his neck. Orochimaru held his grip for long enough to make sure the Anbu had fainted. "And that makes nine more subjects for experimentation, Danzo. He better pray that he delivers upon his claim, because if that old man is unable to do so, I shall cut him down just like all the other scum of Konoha."

The Sannin's eyes narrowed as he carried the unconscious Root member to another research room of his, with his mind still focused on the warhawk having allegedly found a host 'with even more potential than the Uchiha boy'. He smirked. If Danzo was being true, he could only imagine what his potential new host possessed, which could be considered better than even the Sharingan.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys and gals! This is the newest one for this story, and biy did I have fun with it. I tried to focus on multiple aspects, rather than fixating on just a single thing for the entire chapter, and I think that turned out well.**

**Plus, I hope that I did not make any drastic errors when it comes to the characters. Of course, things are bound to change in fanfiction, but I do think the change should be smooth and gradual, and remain true to the original characters. Otherwise, you might as well be writing about an OC to be fair.**

**Anyways, I am sure people will complain about how Naruto seems to developing way too fast with the Rinnegan. Thing is, it is still paced - the Rinnegan is just OP as hell. People have a tendency to forget that when every Tom, Dick and Uchiha get the damn thing in canon. It is still a devastatingly powerful doujutsu.**

**Add that to Naruto's knack for practical learning, his grinding abilities, and Jiraiya taking the training a tad more seriously, and voila. OPness to be expected. I am not going to nerf Naruto for the sake of 'development', as the better form of development would be to come up with situations that are creative enough to force development in things other than getting a new jutsu or somethin'. Just my thoughts.**

**Obviously, there are still going to be people who complain. I ain't here to please everyone, so for those who disliked the chapter or don't like the direction, ya'll make sure the door doesn't hit you on your way out.**

**On a final note, I am on the fence regarding pairings. I have a few options, and have taken note of the suggestions left in reviews and PMs. Temari seems like a fanfave, but I don't have any particular leaning at this time. Naruto is still very much crushing over Sakura. Him not doing so all of a sudden would be OOC. Doesn't mean it has to stay that way. I'm considering some single pairings, and even contemplated a small multi thing after a specific PM, but I have not decided. I am not going to make a decision completely based off of reviews or votes, but thoughts and suggestions are going to be taken into account. Maybe someone convinces me to go down a specific fact. Who knows?**

**Now, there may be some of you who have questions about this chapter - which, by the way, is one of the longest ones I've ever written - so feel free to drop a review or a PM. I always reply to those, unless you're a guest with no ID. Can't do much there. But do keep in mind that there are things going on that I am purposefully not mentioning in the story, like some behind the scenes stuff. Just because I haven't explicitly mentioned it doesn't mean I haven't thought of it yet. Just tryin' to build up slowly. I have big plans at the moment.**

**Well, that's all for this chappie, so that's a wrap! I hope you guys enjoyed, and if you did, tell me all about it in a review or a PM. Those are major inspirations to us fanfic writers.**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami


	4. Chapter 4

Hiruzen sighed. He raised his pipe to his lips and took a deep inhale of the tobacco smoke. Jiraiya had been in his office first thing in the morning to tell him about the Anbu squad that had been watching him and Naruto during their first meeting. The Hokage had been displeased that his student had not informed him of this fact immediately after he came to know of it, but the Sannin's defence had been that his research took precedence over something like that, especially since Jiraiya had captured and incapacitated Danzo's agents before they could attempt an escape of any sort. Jiraiya had volunteered to personally deliver the shinobi to the TI department, and would then go ahead to meet up with Naruto for their first official day as student and teacher.

This had left Hiruzen alone in his office with his mind focused upon the possible reasons for why Danzo was having the boy monitored. Jiraiya had already warned him that they were not likely to get much information from the Root ninja, considering the lengths Danzo had taken to silence them.

One possibility was that Danzo had been keeping the boy under his vision ever since he was a child. The man had always been insistent that Naruto belonged to him, as an asset and a weapon that would serve Konoha. Perhaps Jiraiya's skills had just allowed him to be the first person to locate the Anbu which had been observing the boy for about a decade now.

But the other, more chilling possibility was that Danzo had recently ordered his men to keep an eye on Naruto. That scenario meant that Danzo most likely knew that the boy had gained the Rinnegan. And Hiruzen had no idea how that was even possible, but he had a sinking feeling that was the case here. 'Seems sensei's eternal wisdom strikes true once more. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.' The man thought as he glanced up to the portrait of the Nidaime.

"Neko." As soon as the last syllable had left his mouth, the Anbu member stepped out from the shadows to kneel in front of him. "Move additional teams of Anbu to the missions office and patrols for the training grounds, two each should do. And have a fuinjutsu specialist get in touch with Jiraiya to upgrade the security and privacy seals of every administrative office in the village. We may have our security compromised."

The Anbu nodded, before disappearing to carry out the commands. Hiruzen turned to his desk to face his paperwork, but his mind was not on it. He tried to focus upon it, but after fifteen minutes of having reread the same mission report, he got up from his chair. He had an ex-teammate of his to speak with.

* * *

Naruto had to say, it felt strangely good to have a teacher who was able to maintain his word and show up at the time set for training. He had half expected the man to show up a few hours late. But he could honestly say he hadn't expected him to show up on top of a frog the size of a small hut.

"So, what do you think? Pretty cool, right?" The Sannin said, as the frog below him vanished in a cloud of smoke. He landed on his feet, and turned back to face his student. "That's what we're going to be working on today: the Summoning Jutsu." Jiraiya said with a proud smirk as he walked up to the Genin and pulled the large scroll off of his back. "You're going to be the newest Toad Summoner."

Naruto only raised an eyebrow. "Can't I learn something cooler than having a big frog show up? How about something like that fireball jutsu Sasuke can do?"

Jiraiya reached over and gave the boy a smack over the head. "First of all, they are toads, not frogs. And trust me, having a good partner in a battle can make all the difference." Jiraiya then turned to look at the boy more seriously. "Plus, there is the fact that the Fourth Hokage also used toad summons." And that sold it for the Genin. The Sannin was well aware that Naruto had a fascination for the Yondaime, and although he felt a little guilty about not being able to tell Naruto that he was the son of his idol, he was glad Naruto respected the man as much as he did.

"Well, if that's the case, I'm going to have to learn this jutsu for sure. It's something worthy of a Hokage, and a Hokage to be such as myself!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"That's the spirit. So, the first thing you'll have to do is sign your name in this contract. It's what'll make you an official Toad Summoner."

The blond allowed his eyes to upon the roll of parchment as it unfurled. There were multiple columns on the scroll, and most had names written in them. The final two names were ones that Naruto could recognise. 'Jiraiya' and 'Minato Namikaze'.

"Go ahead, sign your name in an empty column with your blood." Naruto wasn't one to hesitate, so he quickly bit down on his right thumb, and used the flowing blood to inscribe his name upon the parchment. "There! What do I do next?"

"That's actually all you had to do." Jiraiya said as he rolled up the scroll. "Now you need to practise the actual jutsu, like this." The Sannin slowly moved through a series of hand signs, before raising his right thumb to his mouth and biting down on it just hard enough to draw blood, which he wiped across his palm and then slammed down upon the ground.

Immediately, a cloud of smoke formed below him, which faded to reveal the Sannin standing on top of the same large toad that he had arrived upon. "And that is the Toad Summoning Jutsu. Now, why don't I show you a little something that us Toad Summoners can do?"

Jiraiya began to perform another series of hand signs, as he jumped into the air above the toad. The toad also puffed up its cheeks, before spewing out an ungodly volume of brown liquid. The old man then parted his lips, allowing a conflagration of flames to fly out towards the oil. Naruto had to admit that the fire jutsu was very impressive - far more impressive than Sasuke's Goukakyuu no Jutsu. But all of that was nothing compared to what happened once the jutsu met the liquid. The inferno's size and temperature seemed to increase ten fold, as it scorched the training ground and the few trees that had been standing in the field turned to ash. The Genin himself could barely bear the intense heat, and he was a good fifteen feet away from the flames.

Jiraiya flipped in the air, and landed near his student, watching as the flames slowly died down. The toad had already disappeared. "Now that was the Katon: Gamayu Endan. It is a collaboration jutsu, where your summon will produce toad oil, which is highly flammable, and highly explosive. That's just one way of how having a summon with you can change everything in a battle."

Naruto grinned wildly. "How soon will I be able to do that?"

"We will have to find out, won't we? But I also want to use today to get you started on some taijutsu. I'll be honest, going off of what your clones did against mine yesterday, your taijutsu sucks." The comment made the Genin grind his teeth with indignation, but there was no way he could deny what the man was saying. His battle plan was usually just trying to overwhelm the enemy with numbers, and he was figuring out that wouldn't be working forever. "What kind of taijutsu will I be learning old man?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Glad you asked. And no need to worry, you'll still be using shadow clones in your fights. Like I said yesterday, all those clones you can make is a huge advantage you have over pretty much every ninja out there, save for a few. And shadow clones are also able to land hits against your enemy while you form a plan or even attack from a distance. If you ask me, you should try to think of some planned combos or coordinated attacks that allow you to move with your clones. I mean, if you have twenty clones with you, you have the chance to hit an enemy twenty more times than if you're facing them alone." The Sannin explained, before looking to his student to make sure he understood.

The boy was feeling giddy with excitement at this point, as he thought of the possibilities. "So, what should do I right now? Taijutsu or the summoning jutsu?"

The Sannin chuckled lightheartedly. "Why can't you do both?" The quip got the boy's grin to widen even further, as he drew his hands in front of himself, and summoned a crowd of clones.

"Alright, half of you do that summoning jutsu that the old man showed us! The other half follow me. We're gonna be learning some real taijutsu and practising that stuff more seriously, especially if we want to become Hokage sometime soon!" He bellowed out to the clones who were standing upon the ashen field, as they all responded with a 'Yes Boss!' that was forty times as loud. 'I swear, this brat is shaping up to be a great shinobi one day, but he'll be the death of me way before that can happen.' Jiraiya thought in a bemused manner. 'He's nothing like his dad. In fact, he reminds me of Kushina a lot. Hell, his personality's even a lot like Yahiko was...' The Sannin had to force the last thought away as he turned to his student, not wanting to wallow in a pit of self-loathing and pity. He had something to be around for, and he had a job to do, not only for the village, but also for himself and his students. For all of them.

"Hey, brat," He called out, earning forty-one head turns. "I mean the real one." The original Naruto stepped out from the excited crowd. "Why don't you take a clone of mine along with you, to practice against. Your clones aren't exactly formidable opponents." That last comment got him forty dirty looks which he easily ignored, but the original one seemed to be on board with the idea. The old man quickly made a shadow clone of his own and sent him off with the Narutos that would be working on their taijutsu. That small group headed off to find a part of the grounds that had somehow survived the viscous fiery punishment that Jiraiya had delivered upon it. Once he noticed that all of the clones around him had fallen into a rather regular routine of attempting to perform the Summoning Jutsu - they were still just pulling a bunch of tadpoles and some tiny toads - he formed another shadow clone silently. He was sure that he'd be back by the time Naruto had either gotten something down or tired himself down completely, and he also had something important to do at the moment. Seconds later, Jiraiya was flying over the rooftops of many buildings, headed straight to the Hokage Tower.

* * *

Danzo gritted his teeth as he heard the latest report from one of his Root squads._ 'That damned bastard! He's only been here for twenty seven hours, and he's already causing trouble.' _But Danzo honestly could not expect less from one of the greatest recon and spy ninjas the Hidden Leaf had ever produced. With the help of Jiraiya, Hiruzen had not only replaced the security and privacy systems of every important building in the village, but he had also prevented him from keeping an eye on the Jinchuriki and his training, along with having captured no less than eight of his Anbu. He had always been forced to maintain a small force, due to the secretive nature of his organisation, and even that was now being whittled away at by the damned Sannin.

Now, he was absolutely sure that none of his agents would reveal any compromising information, but replacing them would be difficult. It was growing increasingly hard to capture enemy prisoners from the TI department, and the orphanage had also hiked up its security after the first five children had been abducted.

He could always look to non-shinobi settlements near the village for 'recruits', but he had always been wary of doing so. If he did so, those villages would have soon sent requests for shinobi security to Konoha, which could have lead Hiruzen back to him. And now, he was running low on his workforce.

"All personnel are to return to base, bar the elite recon teams." He commanded, watching as his henchman left. He sighed and leaned back in his seat, pressing his fingers against his temples as he did so. He had forgotten that there were some Konoha ninja that were still competent. He had just been lucky enough that they had remained outside of Konoha while he had been working with his Root to expand his influence. _'A Sannin of all people.'_

Danzo would only have to lay low for a while, and perhaps contact his friends on the outside for reinforcement. He never felt comfortable working alongside Konoha's enemies, but he would always do what he had to do for the better of the village. He would just make sure to destroy them as soon as he got the chance.

"Bring in two teams, immediately. I have an important task for them."

* * *

Jiraiya sighed as he kicked yet another clone of Naruto away, causing it to pop into a cloud of smoke before it could hit the ground. "C'mon brat. You can't even get a decent hit in on a clone of mine. You aren't going to become Hokage if you stick it out like this." He mockingly called out.

The original Naruto only snarled as he summoned ten more clones. "We'll see how that would have gone if you let me use the Rinnegan, old man!" He said, as the clones then charged at Jiraiya together. The Sage only smirked, as he then grabbed the first Naruto that rushed at him. Jiraiya then sent a second clone flying at the first, causing them both to burst. "You aren't going to learn anything if you just rely on those eyes of yours."

The real Naruto could only watch as his clones were taken down, until only he and two clones remained. He picked at a bruise that started to form on his cheek, a result of having been slugged by a nasty right hook. As he got up, he exchanged a look with each of his clones, before all three leaped straight at the Sannin.

Jiraiya only smirked. _'Looks like the brat isn't learning much.' _He bent below the first clone that flew at him, and kicked it straight up into the air. He then landed a sharp punch upon the second clone who was running straight at him, causing a cloud of smoke to envelop most of his vision. _'The brat really thinks he's going to get me with a rookie trick like that.' _

Just as he expected, the original Naruto was rushing at him, trying to use the smoke produced by the shadow clone as cover. Jiraiya moved forward to kick the original, only for him to disappear in yet another cloud of smoke. Jiraiya felt a slight panic, as he realised one thing. He couldn't see the original Naruto, and he was in a rather vulnerable position.

He quickly pulled backwards, only to force himself to leap away as his instincts commanded him to do so. And he was glad he did, because Naruto dropped down on where he had been standing with a rather ferocious dropkick.

"I almost had you old man!" The Genin yelled out as he got up from the ground. "How'd you even realise I was coming at you?"

"It comes with decades of experience, kid. You just have an internal compass for knowing what's going on around you, after having been in hundreds of battles." Jiraiya said, as he looked over to the boy. "But trust me, that would have been quite the combo in a real fight. Using a Kawarimi to replace yourself with a clone the second it dissipated, now that was a good idea. You almost caught me off guard."

Naruto nodded. He then crossed two fingers on each hand in his favourite hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Fifty clones popped up around him.

"Alright guys, we're finally getting some ground here. We need to focus on coordinating our attacks, and catching him off guard, all right?" The clones all bellowed their agreement, as groups of them split up and charged ahead at the Sannin's clone. The latter only smiled as he flung himself into the fray. _"Well, at least he's making some headway."_

* * *

Jiraiya groaned as he watched yet another one of Naruto's clones disintegrate. They had been practicing the Summoning Jutsu for a few hours, and some of the clones had begun running out of chakra, and had thus popped away. But as they began to dispel, their experience would be gained by the existing clones, allowing them to get the hang of the jutsu faster. Most of the remaining clones were summoning fully-grown toads, though they hadn't gotten to toads that could speak or make use of their chakra just yet.

Finally, the last handful of clones also began to pop away, until only one remained. The clone that remained was obviously very strained and low on his chakra reserves, but he was already flipping through hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!" He yelled out as he slammed his bloodied palm against the ground.

A large puff of smoke formed around the clone, and for a moment Jiraiya was worried that the clone had run out of chakra at the last second. But the smoke cleared up very quickly, to reveal the clone on the ground, having fallen down, with a small toad sitting in front of him. The toad's skin was a bright orange, with some blue pigmentation on it. It was also wearing a vest of sorts.

"Hey! What's the big deal with summoning me? I was asleep!" The toad cried out as he swivelled around to look at the Sage. "Do you want me to go get pops?"

Jiraiya walked closer to the toad as he saw Naruto still reeling from having seen the summon speak. "No need for that, Gamakichi. It was actually Naruto here who summoned you. He's the newest Toad Summoner."

The toad hopped around to get a look at the blond. "Really, he doesn't seem like much does he?" Naruto was still in shock as the toad hopped up to him. "You got any candy?"

Naruto only shook his head dumbly, before he refocused his thoughts and wrapped his head around what he was seeing. "How is this toad talking?!" He asked, turning to his sensei.

"Hey, you know I can hear ya'! I'm right here." Gamakichi retorted as he looked at the boy with a glare.

"Calm down Gamakichi, it's just his first time seeing a summon that can speak." Jiraiya cut in, stepping in between the boy and the toad. "Naruto, this is Gamakichi. He's the son of the Toad Summons' boss, and it looks like he's your first summon."

Naruto had finally gotten a handle of his senses, and he stood back up and extended his hand to the toad. "Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you Gamakichi." The toad only raised an eyebrow, and tilted his head to the Sannin. "Why's he named after fishcake, Jiraiya?" The Sannin clutched his side as he started laughing, while the blond just gritted his teeth. "My name means maelstrom, not fishcake."

"Hey, hey, hey. No need to get so aggravated here." The Sage intervened. "The two of you just need to get to know each other a little better. And, Gamakichi, trust me when I say this little brat is more than he looks like. He'll make a great summoner for you, so why don't I let the two of you talk it out." With those words, the clone of Jiraiya dispelled itself, leaving the Genin and the toad alone in the field.

"So, you ever had ramen, Gamakichi?"

"Nope. Is it like candy?"

"Better. Much better."

* * *

Sakura had had a rough week. Of course, she had convinced herself to put more time into her training than usual, and had started to take her diet a little less religiously - much to the joy of her parents - but she was still plagued by a worry in the forefront of her mind. She only had a few hours left until the team meeting, and she still wasn't completely confident in her decision to take part in the Chunin Exams.

The girl had tried to procrastinate making a decision, and had instead chosen to focus more on just training more every day, but that had all caught up with her now. She was not quite sure why she was suddenly so worried about the exams, as she had always known to some extent that there were certain risks attached to a career as a kunoichi. But having seen one of her teammates be wounded so lethally in battle had changed her perspective on those risks entirely. It didn't help that that teammate was the sort of person who no one could imagine would ever be so helpless and powerless against an enemy. 'To see Naruto unconscious on the bridge, bleeding out more blood than should be humanly possible. It was terrifying. That could have been me. That might be me in a future mission.' Sakura thought as she stared at the ceiling, lying on her bed. She had been woken up by a nightmare that had become commonplace over the last week. The dream always took her back to the bridge, except this time it would be her who was hit by the kunai. And once she was wounded, she would just watch as her team mates gathered around her and did everything in their ability to heal her, only to fail miserably.

However, even in her nightmares she didn't experience death. She would always start up right seconds before she should have died. The Genin supposed there was a certain comfort in not having experienced the sensation of death in even a dream, but it honestly only served to scare her more. She couldn't imagine what death would be like, and she surely didn't want to. The nightmares had been losing their intensity, but they were still disturbing her. 'At least they push me to make me train more.' The girl admitted as she pushed herself out of her bed and began to make it. It was nearly dawn, and was far earlier than Sakura was used to waking up, but the girl knew she would not be getting more sleep for the day. The team meeting probably wouldn't take place for a good several hours. She might as well use all that time to get some training in.

She got dressed soon, and snuck out of the house silently after leaving a note on the table for her parents to read. She didn't want to admit it, but she had been avoiding her parents as well for the last few days. The reason for that was plain and simple. She didn't want to tell them that she had failed.

Sakura's parents had not initially accepted her decision to become a kunoichi. They had insisted that there were other, less violent careers that the girl could choose for herself. This was doubly true because Sakura did not hail from a shinobi clan of any sort, and that becoming a successful shinobi would be more difficult for her than most people, despite the fact that her father had been a ninja for a good part of his life. But Sakura had insisted, and her persistence had won out. She had been sure that she'd be able to grow strong alongside her teammates and fellow Genin from Konoha, and eventually be promoted to either Chunin or Jonin, and prove that she was a strong person to herself, her parents, and Sasuke. But all of that changed outside of the village, and all of her naiveté had suddenly evaporated. Death was not just a possibility, it was a likely possibility. But she had already invested effort and time into becoming a kunoichi of Konoha, and she was not ready to give that up. But even more important was the fact that she was not ready to be seen as a failure, as someone who had given up in the face of adversity. And that was why she was still undecided regarding whether to participate in the Chunin exams or not.

"Hey, Sakura! What're you doing here so early?" A voice called out to her. The girl looked up to see her blond teammate looking at her from in the middle of the training ground, where him and twelve of his clones were doing something with a rubber ball in their hands. She also noticed a huge pile of the balls sitting on the floor next to them. "I could ask you the same." She said as she walked into the training grounds. "More training?" She asked.

Naruto sheepishly nodded, as he stopped doing whatever he was doing and scratched his cheek bashfully. "I was just practicing this new jutsu I got to learn about." The blond said excitedly. "It's supposedly really powerful, so me and some of my clones are working on practising it. Might come in handy in the Chunin Exams." At the mention of the dreaded event, Sakura felt her stomach sink once more. "But what about you? I haven't seen you for a couple days now. I almost got worried that you weren't going to be training any more." The blond quickly asked as his clones continued to work on the rubber balls.

"Yea, no I was just a little busy with stuff at home, plus I took a day to go over to the library and look into some simple jutsu that I could learn." Sakura said calmly. Over the week since they had had their last team meeting, Sakura had met up with Naruto a few times in this training ground. In fact, Naruto was always already here when she arrived for her own training, and he would usually be working on something or the other of his own. He sometimes revealed some information about what he was doing, but he usually remained tight-lipped about it, and instead they would spend a couple hours just training on whatever Sakura selected. It was really a little out of character for the annoying knucklehead Sakura had come to know him as._ 'I guess a near-death experience will do that to you.'_

Naruto nodded. "Anyways, what'd you want to do today? We didn't do sparring last time, so how about that?" Sakura pondered on the suggestion for a moment, before agreeing. "I guess so." She may have come to the grounds with the intention to train, but that didn't change the fact that she was still focusing upon the question that would soon be looming upon her. She forced all related thoughts out of her mind as she instead looked at Naruto, who seemed to have taken a ready position a few metres away from her. "Just tell me when you're ready, Sakura."

Instead of a vocal response, Sakura ran forward, with her right fist drawn back in a fist. She jumped straight at Naruto, only for him to easily move to the left to evade her fist. Sakura jumped on her feet and tried to send a kick to her left, only for Naruto to grab her leg and yank her off balance, sending her down. Sakura cursed, but she wasn't done for. She sprang back to her feet and stared at Naruto as he stood a few feet away from her.

This time Naruto moved forward to punch her, only for her to quickly duck below it. She then kicked Naruto's feet from under him and watched him fall down. Sakura immediately pulled out a kunai and held it in front of the boy. "Seems like I've gotten better." She said, only to stiffen as she felt cold metal press against her neck.

"Probably, but I've gotten a little more creative too." The Naruto on the floor burst into a small cloud of smoke, as the one standing behind her lowered his kunai. "But I'm pretty sure you are doing better than last time. It just takes time."

Sakura nodded, but she was still disappointed with how easily the supposed 'deadlast' of their class had beaten her. "Hey Naruto," She prodded, getting the blond's attention. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure you can." The boy answered, slightly wary. Sakura was acting a little funny. She wasn't nearly as explosive or fiery as she usually was. If anything, she seemed a little...meek or confused.

The girl nodded, and took a moment to steel her nerves. She took a deep breath, before blurting out the question that had been on her mind all week. "H-How can you still want to be a ninja, let alone still want to be Hokage? You almost died on your very first mission outside of the village." She looked up to see if Naruto was upset, considering the fact that she had broached quite the sensitive topic. However, his expression remained frustratingly normal. "It's just, you were back to training the very next day after we were back. How come you can just ignore what happened to you? You almost died in front of us, and despite that, its like nothing changed for you. Not for one second did you think about giving up. How is that even possible?"

Naruto took a moment to think over the question. He remained quiet as an awkward silence fell upon the two. Sakura was about to apologise for having brought up bad memories, but she was cut off by the boy's answer.

"I guess it's because I still have something to fight for." He said in a tone so sombre that it worried the girl. "I mean, I still want to be Hokage, maybe even more now than ever before. I think I've finally understood the Will of Fire Hokage-jiji keeps talking about." Naruto saw Sakura's confused expression and was quick to explain. "The old man's always telling me about the 'Will of Fire'. It's supposed to be a shinobi's desire to protect something precious to them, and the Hokage always have the greatest Will of Fire because they have to protect the entire village."

Naruto paused once more, almost as if he was choosing his words carefully here. "Haku told me that his precious person was Zabuza. Haku died for Zabuza. And I think that's what it means to want to protect someone precious to you. That's what the Will Of Fire represents. I finally understand all of it." The boy looked at Sakura with such a determined look in his eyes that she nearly shied away from how intense his gaze became. "I need to be stronger so that I can protect all the people that are precious to me. And the Hokage is the strongest ninja in the village. I need to prove my strength, to prove that I can protect those who are precious to me. I can't afford to be weak, because that might endanger the few people in this world that I truly care about."

Sakura had to be honest. She had never expected such intensity from Naruto, the class clown. _'No wonder he isn't affected by what happened back in Wave. He isn't letting himself be affected.'_ She allowed her mind to think over her teammate's words, and a part of her was even curious as to who his 'precious people' were.

The kunoichi also felt a pit of guilt form in her as she recalled some of the times she had been harsher with Naruto than it might have been appropriate to be. _'Yeah, well that's because he never stopped bugging me about going out with him and stuff.' _She glanced over to the silent blond. _'Though he hasn't done anything of the sort for about a week now. Huh, I guess there are some things that have changed.'_

Naruto, on the other hand, was growing uncomfortable with the silence. "Should we get back to training? There isn't much time left until the Chunin Exams begin." He said as he rose to his feet. A moment later Sakura also stood up, still thinking over what Naruto had said. If she were being honest, she agreed with the blond's thoughts. _'I can't give up either. I can't be a failure.'_

"Sure. I can't slack off either." The pink haired girl said firmly, having found some confidence after hearing Naruto's words.

* * *

"I guess that seals the deal, my cute little Genin. You will all be participating in the Chunin Exams." Kakashi said with a smile as he pocketed the forms. He had almost been sure that one of them would have backed out, but he guessed he was still underestimating them a little._ 'It's either that, or they've started taking this more seriously, as they should.'_

"Now, all three of you will soon receive a confirmation letter for your participation. And the exam will start on the 8th, so you have a good few weeks. On the day of the exam, you should be at the Ninja Academy, in Room 302, by noon. Any later, and you won't be participating." The three Genin felt a little irritated by being lectured on tardiness by Kakashi himself. "And we'll also be having team training twice a week leading up to the exams. It would be a real tragedy if any of you three were to die during the exams." The Jonin concluded bemusedly, though his students remained unsure of whether he was truly joking.

"Do we start with our training right now, sensei?" Sakura asked worriedly. She wasn't afraid of the training, but she had already exhausted herself before Kakashi had even arrived by sparring with Naruto and doing some shurikenjutsu practice, and right now she was just looking forward to going back home and getting something to eat. The Jonin must have noticed her fatigue.

"No, Sakura. We will be beginning from tomorrow, at the same time as all of our other team meetings. For now, you may consider yourselves dismissed." The Jonin said, as he prepared to leave. "Oh, and it would be good if you look for something specific you may want to learn, something that you think might give you an edge over others in the Chunin Exams. I'll also see if there is a particular jutsu that will fit for any of you." With that, their sensei left the field.

Sasuke immediately began to walk away from the grounds, intent on returning to the Uchiha compound to continue his private training with the Sharingan. Or, that is what he intended to do, until he was paused by a hand that fell on his shoulder. He looked over the hand to see his blond teammate. "What is it, Naruto? I need to train, and I don't have time to waste on you or any of your silly antics." The Uchiha said gruffly as he shrugged the boy's hand off of his shoulder.

Naruto on the other hand was not put off by the Uchiha's cold response. "Sasuke, I want to fight you. For real." He said, as he looked his teammate straight in the eye.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and shifted his gaze from the blond to Sakura. The girl was standing a few metres away from the two, and she seemed horrified by the thought of the two of her teammates fighting each other. "Why would I fight you loser? It's just a waste of time." He said, as he turned away from Naruto, and began to walk once more. Sakura seemed to breathe a little easier as the conflict calmed down, but unfortunately for her the blond was not one to give up.

Naruto growled at being dismissed so weakly. "Well, we won't know about that until we actually fight, will we?" He moved toward the Uchiha, only for Sasuke to spin around and land a devastating roundhouse kick right against the blond's head. Sakura gasped as she saw the kick connect perfectly. Naruto seemed to fall to the ground, only to suddenly be replaced by a shattered log. Sasuke smirked. "Didn't know you could use any jutsu other than that damned Shadow Clone Jutsu of yours."

"Yeah, we'll I've been brushing up on some stuff, teme. I'm not going to go down as easy as you might think." The voice came from up in a tree, where the real Naruto stood on a branch, smirking as he looked down at the Uchiha. "So, what d'ya say? You up for it Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt his own smile widen as he looked at his blond teammate, and chose to ignore the fussing worries of Sakura from beside him. "Maybe it won't be a complete waste of time after all."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hi guys and gals! Now this, this was a fun one. Sorry for the short ****time skip, but there will be a couple of those. And just to preface, I won't be using flashbacks to fill in what happened during the skips. That is more or less going to be revealed when Naruto does it. Such as exhibit A, him getting better at the Kawarimi no Jutsu. Expect that sort of thing, as I will only be focusing on very pivotal thing. Stuff that is partially covered by the anime might not receive as much attention.**

**Obviously, he has started working on the Rasengan behind the scenes, and that will be touched upon in the next chapter too. Jiraiya is going to be having him fully exploit his clones, and we shall see the results of that soon enough. I imagine it'll only be a couple chapters until the Chunin Exams actually kick off. Most of that is for set up, because there are a lot of things that I have going on behind the scenes (hinted at in this chapter) that are going to be coming together in the next few chapters.**

**As far as romance goes, I have officially decided upon the pairing I want for this story, and it is a complete secret. I really adore the pairing I've chosen and I believe I can do it justice. You people can feel free to take guesses via review or PM if you want, but I doubt anyone will actually get it right. Anyhow, it is a single pairing, but I might add one girl. The potential second girl is also pretty much set in stone, though I'd still like to see if you guys have any guesses at this point. There aren't many hints, if any.**

**I am also enjoying the gradual dismantlement of Root, but that is not to say that the threat of Danzo is over. Wait and read, good people.**

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear what you think in a review or PM. I try my best to respond, and I usually do. And that's a wrap!**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami


	5. Chapter 5

The two rivals stared at each other from across the field, as they got ready to fight. Sakura was watching them from a good distance, having convinced herself that she would be making sure that she wouldn't let their 'spar' go too far. The girl had known that her team mates had wanted to fight each other ever since the mission to Wave began, and that tension had only worsened over the course of the mission. They had been wanting to prove that they were better, and to one up the other.

However, at that moment, Sasuke's thoughts were plagued by something else entirely. _'I need to prove that I'm strong. Strong enough to not let anyone else die.' _For him, Wave had been too close a call. He had never believed that he would come to see the dobe of all people as a friend, but he did. And seeing his only friend almost die in front of him reminded him of how weak he was. On that bridge, he had been just as helpless as he was the night of the Uchiha massacre. And he hated that feeling. He knew he had no chance of beating Itachi if he couldn't even protect his comrades in battle. By fighting Naruto, he had an opportunity to prove to both the blond and himself that he was strong. The Uchiha then smirked. The fact that he got to beat Naruto was just icing on top of the cake.

On the other side of the field, Naruto saw Sasuke's smirk, and returned it with one of his own. The blond then formed the spar hand sign, as a show of respect for a fellow Leaf ninja. Sasuke reciprocated. After exactly three seconds, Naruto began the fight by charging at the Uchiha, having pulled out a kunai as a melee weapon. _'Hn, just the sort of thing you would expect from the dobe.' _Sasuke pulled out his own kunai and deflected the first strike from Naruto. The Jinchuriki then tossed the kunai aside and seamlessly jumped into a drop kick, forcing Sasuke to roll away to dodge it. The Uchiha then pushed himself back up with his hand, and kicked Naruto in the stomach. Naruto flew a feet into the air, but he then vanished into thin air. Sasuke panicked.

That wasn't a Shadow Clone or a Substitution. He braced himself and focused upon his surroundings, trying to sense Naruto, but he wasn't fast enough, for before he even noticed, he was kicked in the back and sent tumbling forward. From behind him, Naruto charged straight at him, with his fist reared back. Sasuke was able to dodge once more, but it was a bare thing. _'Dammit, how has Naruto gotten so much stronger? And how did he vanish back there?'_

As he thought over the new abilities shown by his team mate, he was also doing his best to defend himself from the volley of kicks and punches Naruto was throwing at him. It was after a particularly close clip to the shoulder that the Uchiha decided a change of pace might help him. "I hate to admit it, Naruto, but you have gotten better. Much better. But you have yet to see the true might of an Uchiha." With that solemn warning, Sasuke, sped up his punches, and grabbed Naruto by the arm and tossed him over his shoulder, sending his team mate barrelling into a tree. Sasuke then turned to his rival, his eyes blazing the crimson red of the Sharingan. "Give it up Naruto." He walked closer to the dazed blond. "My Sharingan can track you, no matter how fast you go."

Naruto grinned back up at his team mate. "No need to get so cocky just yet, teme." 'Naruto' then exploded, causing a cloud of smoke to envelop the Uchiha and most of his vision. Sasuke felt a sharp kick in the gut that lifted him off the ground, and that was followed by another, and another, and yet another, without any room for him to respond. He barely realised it, but he was soon fifteen feet into the air.

Sakura grew worried as she saw the fight grow more violent by the second. She was now genuinely worried that one of the two might get hurt. Her fears only grew as the two were covered by a lot of smoke, obscuring her view completely. Seconds later, she heard a loud crash. A moment later, the smoke dissipated to reveal her two team mates. And from their state, she could only clap her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from shouting.

Sasuke was on the ground, trying to get up, while Naruto stood near him. "So, what do you say, Sasuke? I'm not exactly the deadlast anymore, am I?" Naruto asked with a triumphant grin. The Uchiha staggered to his feet. "You only caught me off guard. I shouldn't have underestimated you. Had I used my Sharingan from the beginning, this would have ended very differently." He grunted out.

Naruto only smiled wider. "That may be true, Sasuke, but you didn't do that, so I win fair and square." Sakura tensed as Naruto jeered on the Uchiha, worried that he might lash out at the blond. She was thrown a curveball when Sasuke did not turn cross. He only smiled.

"I guess you can have this one, Naruto. But I won't let you win as easily in the future, so keep that in mind." Sasuke said as he finally stood up straight. "But I will say you've been improving a lot since the Academy. You're a worthy rival." To any other person, the comment would have sounded arrogant and condescending, but Naruto knew that it was the closest thing to a compliment the Uchiha was capable of giving. He grew a little bashful as he scratched the back of his head. "Heh, you weren't so bad yourself, Sasuke." Naruto said as the two teammates walked toward the edge of field. As they walked in silence, they were intercepted by an anxious Sakura.

"You two are absolutely crazy. Someone could have gotten hurt, and that would have been terrible in any case, let alone so close to the Chūnin Exams." She huffed as she looked at them sternly. "The two of you should head to the hospital right now to see if there was any serious damage. You might have gotten hurt but just not have realised it yet." She demanded.

"Sasuke here might need to get checked up, but I'm right as rain, believe it." Naruto assured with a smug look, but he ended up giving in to the girl's demands anyway, and the two boys were soon walking toward the Konoha shinobi hospital to make sure they had not suffered any permanent damage. It was more for Sasuke's sake than anything, because he had a particularly rough landing at the end of the fight.

As they left, Sakura felt a flame ignite within her. She didn't want to admit it, but she was shocked to see how much Naruto and Sasuke had truly grown. _'Naruto even managed to beat Sasuke.' _With that, she marched back into the field, determined to continue training. She had a lot of distance to cover, and as far as she was concerned, she wasn't running nearly fast enough.

* * *

"So, you finally got the Rasengan down, eh?" Jiraiya asked with a hint of pride as he saw Naruto - along with a dozen clones - form the whirling justus, on their hands. The blonds only grinned in response, as they allowed the balls to slowly die down, following which the clones disappeared, leaving only the original.

Jiraiya scratched at his chin. It seemed that Naruto did inherit some things from his father after all. He had a particular aptitude for ninjutsu. It had taken him six days to master the Rasengan down to a tee, and a further four days to be able to create one almost instantaneously. The Sannin was honestly puzzled as to what he would be teaching the boy next. "Well, it's almost sunset, so why don't we call it a day for now. Actually, you've really been working yourself to the bone, and you deserve a day off, kid. I'll see you the day after tomorrow, alright?" The man said. And it was true. Naruto and his clones had practically devoured anything he had thrown at them. His natural aptitude, his immense chakra capacity due to being an Uzumaki and a Jinchūriki coupled with the enhanced chakra control of the Rinnegan made him a monster by all means. He looked forward to seeing the brat outshine everyone else once the Chūnin exams rolled around.

"Thanks old man!" Naruto cheered as then ran off from the field, eager to get to Ichiraku before it could close up for the night. He was happy with himself for all the progress he had managed to achieve over two and a half weeks. As soon as he had walked off of the field, he concentrated some chakra through himself, and performed a Shunshin, immediately appearing in front of his favourite ramen bar. That was a particular jutsu that Naruto was happy to have learned. Jiraiya had convinced him that he needed a trusty jutsu that would allow him to be fast, both for battle and for retreat and movement. Now, the Shunshin was not typically used in battle, but after days of endless trial with a bunch of his clones - not to mentioning throwing up several times due to the nausea - Naruto had been able to move fast enough to use the Shunshin somewhat effectively in his spars against Jiraiya. And as it turns out, that same jutsu proved very helpful outside of battle too.

"Hey, Naruto!" Teuchi called out in greeting as the boy entered. "What'll you be having today?" The ramen chef was always friendly with Naruto, and that was something the boy could appreciate. "I'd like five bowls of the beef ramen, please."

Teuchi nodded, and immediately went back into the kitchen to get started on the food. As Naruto played around with a set of chopsticks, Ayame poked her head in from the kitchen. "Hey, Naruto! It's been a while, hasn't it?" She said as she walked up to the counter and leaned over it. "Seems the big, bad ninja has gotten too busy for a run-down ramen bar, eh?" She poked fun at him as she absentmindedly wiped a cloth against the surface of the table.

"No way Ayame-chan!" The boy denied vehemently. "Ichiraku's is the very best, and there's no way I'm ever going to forget this place, believe it! I was just busy training for the Chūnin Exams."

Ayame giggled in response. "Don't worry Naruto, I know you're not going to abandon Ichiraku anytime soon. But I have to say, those Chūnin Exams sound exciting. In fact, Dad's been talking about them for days now, but only because the exams bring around all sorts of tourism, and that ups our sales a lot."

Naruto nodded rapidly. "They sure are exciting! And I'm going to be promoted to Chūnin, which'll bring me one more step closer to my dream of being the Hokage!" He said. "I've been training really hard for this, and my sensei actually gave me a day off tomorrow." Ayame hummed curiously. "Any idea what you're going to do with your day off?"

The Genin held his chin and thought over it for a moment. "To be honest, I hadn't thought of that. I figured I'd just sleep in, maybe do a little training on my own, and finish the day off with the best ramen in the world. Don't exactly have much planned out other than that." The girl shook her head. "Naruto, you can't seriously be thinking of training on a day off. A day off means you need to relax! If you keep on working all the time, you'll get tired of it, and your heart isn't going to be in it soon enough." Ayame explained.

That possibility frightened Naruto. "Wait, so what do you think I should do?"

Ayame pondered over the question, as she tapped her finger against her chin. "Well, if I had a day off, I'd probably like to spend a day shopping, maybe catch up with some high school buddies of mine, and cap it off with a few hours at the hot springs." She closed her eyes and smiled pleasantly at the thought. "Yup, that would definitely be it."

"Okay, then I'll do that to relax. The hot springs should be good for relaxing, right?" The boy asked hastily. However, he was very surprised when Ayame suddenly snapped her eyes open and gave him an incredulous look.

"You can't tell me you haven't been to the hot springs before. Isn't that place basically meant for you shinobi?" The girl asked in a shocked manner. And it was true. The Shodaime Hokage had created the hot springs as a quick way for ninjas to relax, bathe and recuperate from the wear and tear of battle or training. Of course, civilians were allowed to use it just as much as the ninjas, but it was clear to everyone that it was one of the shinobis' preferred pastimes. Naruto could only wince a little, as he put on a guilty little smile. "You have no idea how much you are missing out on Naruto. The hot springs are a must for any good day off." She finished.

Naruto nodded. "I guess that settles it then." At that moment, Teuchi returned from the kitchen with a tray, carrying five large bowls of steaming ramen. "Five beef ramens, right up." Ayame quickly grabbed a bowl and set it in front of Naruto, and then place the rest next to him as well. Naruto broke apart the chopsticks in his hand and began to chow down upon the savoury food, feeling himself become full with happiness and energy with every bite he took. After he was halfway through the first bowl, he suddenly stopped, and looked a little sheepish. "Uh, t-thanks for the food." He said to the ramen chef, before continuing his meal. Teuchi and Ayame could only chuckle at the boy's behaviour, having grown more than used to his occasionally strange antics. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

"Ah, that hits the spot!" Naruto groaned as he lowered himself into the warm waters of the hot springs. It was admittedly a little more pricey to get an individual, smaller pool for just himself, but Naruto thought it would be worth it for his first time here. Plus, it wasn't really much from what he still had of his Wave mission pay. "Ayame-chan was absolutely right, this feels amazing." The Genin let himself float in the water as it soothed him and all of the sore spots he had accumulated after weeks of thorough training. The water was admittedly a little too hot, but he allowed himself to get used to it as he stretched inside the small pool. He laid back against the smooth rocks that lined the hot springs, and let his mind focus on other things such as training and the Chūnin Exams. They were drawing closer, and he had been getting pumped up. During his team meeting with his team nine days ago, Kakashi had told them that they should expect Genin from all sorts of places to be participating, as the Chūnin Exams were an opportunity for all the ninja villages to broadcast their skilled shinobi and kunoichi and gather potential clients for the future, as well as to deter other nations from starting a war by proving that they had strong ninja.

Kakashi had given both Sakura and Sasuke plans for how to move forward with their training schedules privately, as he believed that it was best for them to not know what exactly the others were working on. For Naruto, he gave him a rather extensive physical regime, along with some chakra control techniques that Naruto had practically blown through. But he was glad that Kakashi had helped him out with something, as he was sure the physical training was having some benefit on him, despite him only having started it nine days ago.

Naruto waved his hand under the water for a minute, watching as small waves formed. _'I didn't realise relaxing might be this...boring.' _He continued to create some of the waves, until the sight got some gears spinning in his head. _'Hey, that looks a lot like the Rasengan.' _The Genin then started focusing on spinning his chakra under the water in the same motions as he used for the Rasengan. He watched as the water rushed into a multitude of tiny vortexes, and caused the water in the entire pool to spin around the orb, creating a small but vicious whirlpool. Naruto warily brought the spinning orb of water and chakra closer to one of the smooth rocks, only to flinch as the surface of the smooth rock was destroyed and turned into a fine dust that began to spread into the water. He immediately allowed the chakra to dissipate, but he was still amazed by what he had just seen. _'I'll have to ask the old man about this. That was some kind of water Rasengan.'_

But before he could think any further on the matter, he heard a series of low giggles from nearby. At first, he thought it might have been something he was just imagining, only for him to hear the same giggling once more. He was truly curious now, so he got out of the water, with his wet boxers on as he walked up the bamboo wall from where he had heard the giggling. He peered over the wall, only to nearly drop off of the wall as he saw his sensei sitting up in a tree, with a small notebook in hand.

Naruto looked carefully, and noticed that the man had a little trickle of blood running down his nose. His eyes were quickly shifting from his notebook over to the hot springs next to the one Naruto was in at the time. The boy himself looked over, curious as to what exactly his sensei was so interested in. But as he looked into the bath next to him, he was shocked to see a plethora of naked women, all just sitting in the water, either completely naked or covered only by a thin, wet towel. This time, he did fall down into the water. _'Wait! Is sensei spying on those ladies?' _The boy didn't want to admit it, but it was true. _'Dammit, another pervert in the village. But seriously, spying on actual women. Not cool, old man.'_

He quickly climbed back up the wall, and then decided he had to do what needed to be done.

"Hey, old man, why are you peeking on all those women in the hot springs?!" Naruto watched bemusedly as the Sannin blanched completely, a look of fear and betrayal on his face, and the notebook dropped out of his hands, falling to the ground. "Why you brat what do you-"

And that was just as far as Jiraiya got until a punch knocked him out of the tree, and sent him straight to the ground. The man tried to get to his feet, only for a group of angry women to land around him and start beating him up. Naruto dodged back down under the bamboo wall, and sunk into the water. He hadn't expected such a...violent response. _'Oh my god. I saw them naked! What if I'm next!' _The boy cringed as he stealthily crept out of the water. He'd just have to cut his little trip to the hot springs short. _'I just need to lay low and get out of here, right now.'_

The Genin slipped out of the pool, staying close to the ground and making sure that he wouldn't make a single sound. He grabbed a towel from a nearby bench and wrapped it around himself as he neared the exit. _'Nearly...there.'_

"You going somewhere, brat?" A voice growled from behind him. A distinctly female voice. Naruto was sure his day of reckoning was upon him. He slowly turned around, and looked to see a woman - barely ten years older than him - looming over him with a threatening smile, with the sun shining over her spiky purple hair. But Naruto immediately clapped his hands over his eyes and turned away once more. The lady was only wearing a towel around her waist. "Hey, lady! You're naked!"

The lady only grunted. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you've already seen whatever you wanted to, you perv. I'm only here to ask if you have any last words before I beat you into the ground, brat."

"Hey, I wasn't doing anything of the sort!" Naruto yelled out in his defence. "I was only here in the hot springs, minding my own business when I noticed the old man _watching_ all of you. I only called him out for it."

Anko raised an eyebrow, as she quickly lost the sadistic grin on her face as well. "Wait, you didn't see anything?"

"Well, not on purpose!"

The woman froze, before using her arm to cover her breasts, while blushing slightly. "Uh, thanks for that then, I guess. And consider the flash an apology, just don't mention it to anyone."

The Genin heard a quick shuffle of feet, but he didn't open his eyes for several seconds just to be on the safe side of things. When he finally moved his hand away from his face, he saw the empty room, with no sign of the lady at all. _'Whew, talk about getting saved by the skin of my teeth.'_ The teen decided that he might as well get back into the water, since he was no longer facing any immediate danger. "If anything, I think I need to relax even more after that entire ordeal." With those thoughts he sunk back into truly comfortable water. "Heh, who knew that old man was such a pervy guy. Pervy-Sage, that actually has a nice ring to it."

* * *

Hiruzen could barely hold himself together as he stared at his ex-team mate, who stood in front of him. "How dare you? You have taken this too far this time, Danzo!" The Hokage growled out, as two squads of Anbu appeared in the room, ready to jump in to protect the Hokage if a physical altercation took place.

Danzo only smirked a little. "Now, now, Hiruzen. I only did what I believed would be best for the village." The leader of the Root assured. "We shall be cultivating the groundwork for later political alliances that may help us protect ourselves and our people." He levelled a smile at the Hokage. "That is what you desire the most, right Hiruzen?" The Sandaime could only grit his teeth. Although he was angry that Danzo had gone over his head when sending out additional invitations to some villages, he could not deny the fact that it might do the village good in the long run. And if there was one thing Hiruzen was sure of, it was that the man in front of him loved the village more than he loved life itself.

"And besides," Danzo continued. "Two villages have already accepted and sent back the registration information for their Genin teams. You cannot merely reject them now. It would be an insult to our village, and it could potentially cause further conflicts. It would only be wise to go along with the decision, Hiruzen."

Hiruzen didn't want to admit it, but he knew that he could not do anything about the matter now. _'But I make sure this does not happen again.'_

"Danzo, you may be right about the benefits of this decision, but you still acted without my authorisation. As such, you are being removed from the advisory council, effective immediately." He said dismissively, not leaving any room for further argument.

Danzo's lips thinned, but he did not want to push his luck at the moment. He nodded his head silently, and left the room. _'Damn you, you monkey! You are letting our village cripple and die in front of your very eyes and you aren't doing anything about it.'_

Back in his office, Hiruzen could only sigh as he dismissed the Anbu with a wave of his hand. He glanced over to his table, where two important message scrolls were placed, one from Takigakure, and one from Kirigakure. Taki and Konoha had not had great relations ever since Taki sent one of their top ninjas to assassinate the Shodaime, and Kiri had been allied to Konoha right up until they fell into a state of civil war over the existence of Kekkei Genkai. The man closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. _'This, this might be good. Perhaps we can form some form of alliance with Kiri or Taki. That would surely help us in defending our boundaries, as well as assisting Suna in recovering from its unfortunate financial problems. In fact, if everything plays out well, we could have a very strong alliance between the four of us before the Chūnin Exams are even over. Danzo's plan has the potential to be brilliant, if only he didn't have to be so secretive about everything.'_

The Hokage sighed once again. This time of the year certainly got very exhaustive, and not only due to Danzo's meddling. Hosting the Chūnin Exams was not an easy task, considering all the bureaucracy involved in it. But one thing that the Hokage did have to be happy about was the fact that the three rounds for the exams had been decided upon and approved by him. It was a challenging series of tasks, and he was sure that this year's crop of Genin would not have it easy, but he was satisfied with what the proctors had decided upon.

* * *

"Are we just going to ignore what happened back there, Pervy-Sage?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow as his sensei showed up the day after his free day, still nursing a black eye for his troubles.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, brat." The Sannin replied, but Naruto sensed a certain venom in the words which confirmed that the man did in fact remember, exactly what had happened. "We're just going to start a new form of training today, something that has more to do with ninjutsu, so I'm sure you're going to like it." He said, as he pulled out a small sheet of pale brown paper. "This is chakra paper, Naruto."

Naruto grew excited immediately, forgetting the incident he had been thinking about. "That's awesome! What do I do with it?" He asked as he gingerly reached for the paper.

"This is made from a special tree, and it's supposed to tell you what your chakra affinities are." Jiraiya explained, only to be met with a blank face. He groaned. Naruto might be good at the practical stuff, but his theoretics were...less than adequate at times. "Chakra affinities are aptitudes for the five chakra natures, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth and Water. If you have an affinity for one, it'll be easier for you to master jutsu of that element, and it'll also require less chakra to use those jutsu. Basically put, your chakra can more easily be used to produce that element or its effect." The Sannin continued, pausing for a minute to think of an example. "Like the Uchiha clan. They were famous for their use of Fire Jutsu, and most Uchihas would have some Fire affinity. And the Senju were always famous for having strong Water and Earth affinities."

The blond's eyes finally widened with realisation. "Oh, I get it! So we're going to find out what my affinity is?" He asked, his excitement once again ignited.

"Not quite." Said the Sannin. "I actually have a theory for your chakra affinity, but I just want to test that today. But if my theory sticks, then you're a lucky brat."

"Well, what exactly is this theory of yours?" The boy asked. But Jiraiya didn't answer. He instead handed the boy the chakra paper.

"No need to get your hopes high. Just channel some chakra into it."

That final comment didn't really help the boy, as he felt a certain anxiety. What if he got a bad affinity? What if he didn't have an affinity? The fears ran rampant in his mind, but he quickly put an end to all of those thoughts. _'So what if I get an affinity that isn't so cool. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'll prove that even that affinity can be cool as anything, believe it!' _With that thought, he steeled his nerves, and channeled some of his chakra into the paper.

The paper split into four equal parts. One part wrinkled up, one burnt into ash, one crumbled into dust, and one grew damp and fell apart. "What does that mean, Pervy-Sage? What's my affinity?" He asked as he looked up toward his sensei. But the wide smile on his teacher's face almost creeped him out. "H-Hey, old man, are you okay?"

The Sage shook his head vigorously to pull himself out of his daze, and grinned widely at the boy. "I'm more than okay Naruto, and so are you! You have all five chakra affinities, just like I thought you would!" Naruto felt his ears blush a little, as his chest swelled outwards with pride. "Yeah, well that's what you'd expect from the future Hokage."

Jiraiya merely stared at the kid, dumbfounded. "You don't get it, Naruto. Having two affinities is rare, and having three is almost unheard of. The Rinnegan, however, allows a person to have all five."

Naruto still wasn't really sure what that meant exactly, though he could tell he was getting more badass by the second. "So, what do I do now?"

Jiraiya chose to respond to that question with a smirk. "Now, we're going to be doing some more training, Naruto, and this is the part that's really going to giver you an advantage in the exams. This is just going to be the start of your real training, trust me on that." He said in an amused voice. Naruto had a terrible feeling that the man was about to use 'training' as an excuse to take his revenge for the 'incident' the previous day. He was right.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys and gals! A bit of a surprise, isn't this? Well, what can I say, I was in the mood and this sort of just came out. To be fair, the centre seemed a little bit like a filler, but there are important things going on in literally every scene, you just need to look for 'em. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, despite it being a little shorter than the last two (5k compared to 8k and 7k each).**

**Now, the pairing is officially decided, and I'm just thinking on whether or not to include the second girl. I'm not going to be revealing any names for a couple chapters just yet, but I will say it is a rather rare one, a few of you made some guesses, and though no one has gotten the primary pairing, one person was able to guess the potential second girl. But all that stuff is still ahead of us.**

**Now, I will admit that fight between Sasuke and Naruto might have been a little bland, but the reason for that is that I'm holding off on longer fight scenes until the Chūnin Exams. ****Plus, just as a forewarning, I never really liked the sort of fights that can go on and on for more than 3k words (some actually go 10k plus), so I'm not going to write those either. I will try to make the fights interesting, but I can't raise your hopes too high. **

**Naruto officially knows the Rasengan! Plus affinities! You guys will get to see that stuff in action in the exams, and I'm probably going to be starting them in either the next chapter, or the one after that. I actually managed to focus quite a bit of this chapter on set up, and I think I'm nearly ready for the exams to kick off. Oh, and do tell me what you thought of that tiny hot springs scene. I just wanted to have a reason to go back to calling Jiraiya Ero-Sennin, so there was that. And Anko, though I wonder if any of you will wonder whether Anko is the pairing. I'm not denying or confirming anything, just curious as to what your thoughts on the scene are.**

**And do not worry! More Rinnegan is to come in the future chapters. It has remained on the down low for quite some time, but that won't be for long. Naruto will be using it before you know it. Hiruzen just wanted Jiraiya there to both protect ****Naruto and train him how to protect himself for when the need will arise. Oh, and although Naruto has access to all elements, I'm only going to have him use two primarily, with the others being elements he will invest less time in. One primary element will be Wind. Any suggestions on the other?**

**So, tell me what you think of the chapter and make guesses on the pairings through the reviews or a PM! I hope you enjoyed, and I guess that is a wrap!**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami


	6. Chapter 6

"How long are we supposed to just sit like this?" Naruto whined as he sat in the 'lotus position' his sensei had shown him. "We're burning daylight here, and I could use the time better if I trained for tomorrow."

At first, Jiraiya had ignored the boy but his constant complaining over the past hour had finally worn down his patience. "Meditation is supposed to help you relax, kid, besides if you trained today you would just end up having to go to the exams exhausted and tired." Naruto only grunted. "Yeah, well it ain't helping me relax much. My legs fell asleep ten minutes ago." Jiraiya sighed. "Well, I guess meditation isn't for everyone."

The blonde immediately got up from his seated position and happily started stretching his legs. "But that still doesn't mean you can train today." Naruto just groaned but decided that there might be some wisdom to the Sannin's words after all. He then brightened up, as an idea struck him. "Hey, I'll just go and ask Ayame-chan what I should do? She really helped out last time!" He said, before he ran off from the field. "See ya Pervy-Sage!"

* * *

The boy was soon seated at his regular stool in the ramen bar, having asked for his usual. Once again, he was talking to Ayame while Teuchi was in the kitchen preparing the meal. "Have you considered trying out the hot springs another time?"

Naruto only shuddered in response to the question. "Trust me Ayame-chan, that place is dangerous. Plus, apparently it's gotten much more crowded recently. A lot of people came here for the Chūnin Exams, and they're taking advantage of everything Konoha has to offer."

Ayame nodded. "Tell me about it. We've had customers from three different villages just today. In fact, three ninja from Kiri left just seconds before you arrived." The girl then refocused her gaze on to the blond. "How are you holding up, by the way?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he fiddled with a set of chopsticks in his hands. Ayame sighed. "I meant with the Chūnin Exams starting tomorrow. I know you've been putting in a lot of effort and training, but even you have to be a little nervous, right?"

Naruto only smirked boldly in response. "Well that's where you're wrong. Naruto Uzumaki does not get nervous, believe it! I'm going to show every single person at these exams what the next Hokage of Konoha is made of!"

"I have to admit, that attitude of yours sure is an infectious one." Ayame said to the blond. "And you'll have the full support of Ichiraku Ramen, no matter what."

"You can say that again." Teuchi said as he rounded the corner and approached the bar, carefully carrying a tray laden with ramen bowls. "There's no way I'm not going to support a kid that calls my ramen the 'food of the gods'." Naruto nodded bashfully as he scratched the back of his head, before thanking the man for the meal and digging in.

Soon, the boy was done with almost eight bowls, and as he had now slowed down his pace considerably, Ayame continued their earlier conversation. "If hot springs are out, then what about some shopping, or meeting up with a friend." She suggested. "And I'd have to say you are doing a good job with shopping already. I mean, this new ensemble of yours is much, much better than that ridiculous jumpsuit you wore for the last two years."

Naruto gasped in response. "Ayame-chan, you shouldn't speak ill of the dead! Those suits went down in the line of fire." Ayame only shook her head in exasperation. "Say what you want, but that outfit wasn't really doing you any favours." She said, before leaning in closer and continuing in a conspiratorial tone. "Especially when it comes to the ladies."

The blond only raised an eyebrow slowly. "What do clothes have to do with girls?" The girl gave him a hard look, which softened slightly when she realised the boy wasn't pulling at her leg. "W-Well, sometimes wearing good clothes makes you look better, and that can help someone like you, romantically speaking." She would've asked why he didn't know these things himself, but she knew the reason already. _'Sometimes I forget how much I take for granted with a parent.'_

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait, so how do I know if my clothes help people like me?"

"I guess you just develop a sense for it over time. But trust me, this jacket is much better than that old jumpsuit."

In a few moments, Naruto was done with his final bowl as well, and he stood up after placing the cash due on the counter. "Well, I guess I might just go see Jiji. I haven't really seen him in a week. He's been way busier these days because of the Chūnin Exams." With a quick farewell to the ramen chef and his daughter, Naruto was soon in the streets of the village, calmly strolling to the Hokage Tower. He wasn't really in any hurry, so he might as well take his time.

As he walked, he did notice the continuous glares he was still receiving from most of the civilians. They had lessened their hostility towards him considerably since he became a shinobi, although that was more out of fear than any compassion or respect. But they had still taken it upon themselves to make him feel unwanted and disliked. _'They can do whatever they want. It just gives me more reason to want to prove them wrong, and to show them that I am not just a Jinchūriki. I am Naruto Uzumaki!' _He raised his head cheerfully as he continued to walk through the village. All of this resistance would just make his final achievement all the more worth it.

Naruto stopped only once he had arrived in front of the Hokage Tower, and a moment later, he was walking into the office, smiling at the old man.

"Ah, Naruto, it is a pleasure to see you." The man said as he signed a paper. He then put the pen aside as he looked to the boy. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Naruto threw his head back in exasperation. "Why does everyone keep on asking me that! I can't even wait until tomorrow, so that I can show everyone just how amazing I am." He said, pumping his fist into the air as his eyes filled with fiery determination. "I've spent way too much time and effort on this to not prove that I am the best that Konoha has to offer, and to show that I am fit to be the next Hokage."

Hiruzen chuckled. The boy's undying desire to prove himself always got to him. But he also noticed that there was something different about the way the blond said it this time. "So, you still want to be the most powerful person in the village so that the villagers finally respect you, eh?"

The Genin reached up and scratched his cheek. "Well, actually, I think I finally understood all that stuff you always told me about the 'will of fire', Jiji." Naruto said as his tone grew slightly more serious. "I want to be the Hokage, yeah, but I don't only want to have everyone's respect. I also want to be powerful enough to protect all of my precious people. And I told everyone that I'd be Hokage. I made that promise to myself, and, no matter what, I'm not going to go back on my word."

If the Sandaime was completely honest, he was taken aback by the boy's conviction. "It seems that some of the things I say have actually rubbed off on you." He said humorously as he stood from his chair. "My sensei was the one who taught me about the will of fire, Naruto. Hashirama-sensei was known on the battlefield for his incredible skill, which has remained unmatched. But in Konoha, he was known for the lessons he imparted upon the next generation." Hiruzen chuckled. "He used to call us the 'seedlings for a better Konoha'."

The Hokage then turned to the younger shinobi, as his smile diminished slightly. "Your parents were great shinobi, Naruto. And above all, they believed in the will of fire: the burning desire that exists in a person to protect those precious to them." Naruto quickly grew somber. "Your parents would have been proud of you, even more proud than I am right now. By understanding what the will of fire is, you are the next seedling for a better Konoha, Naruto."

The Genin's eyes were facing downwards to the floor, as he tried to stave off the tears welling up in his eyes. "T-Thank you, Jiji." He said, in a shaky voice. He then took a moment to calm himself. "C-Can you tell me who they were?"

Hiruzen felt a pang of guilt in his heart as he turned around to look at the boy who was just as precious as Konohamaru to him. "I'm sorry, but I cannot." He had been asked that specific question a few times by the boy over the years, but Naruto was usually satisfied by the answer that his parents had been shinobi. "One day, I will tell you who your parents were. But not yet."

Naruto nodded stiffly, not having had very high hopes, but Hiruzen continued.

"They were great shinobi, Naruto. I knew them well, and I do know that they would not have wanted you to be recognised for their feats. They would have wanted you to be proud of the person you became through your own strength and efforts." He paused. "And, they would not have wanted people to know that you were their child, for they surely had enemies of their own. The day that you were born, I promised myself that I would not allow you to come to any danger due to who your parents were. I may not like it, but even I know that our village is not impervious to enemy spies or spreading rumours. And those were some chances that I could not take, even if only you and I knew."

The boy did not know what to say. He could see the sense in Hiruzen wanting him to be his own person. He felt a strong urge to know who his parents were, and to know what exactly they had done which had earned them such glory and had marked them as enemies to certain people. But he also knew that the Hokage would not divulge any information until he wanted to.

"Will you ever tell me who they were?" Naruto finally asked, looking at the man he had come to consider a grandfather.

Hiruzen sighed. "I will, Naruto, but I cannot tell you until I believe you are ready for it. But I promise you, I will tell you." Sarutobi was well aware that Naruto had grown stronger over the previous month, at an almost unprecedented rate. Jiraiya had been very happy and proud of the boy's growth, but even more so had been how he seemed to have matured. _'I was worried that what happened on the mission might do that to him, but perhaps there has been some positive effect from what occurred.'_

"But there is no need to be upset, Naruto. You are growing to become a very capable shinobi, especially with your new...gifts. But you must take things one step at a time, and that starts with the exams. Just do your best." He said as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Why don't you go home and make it an early night?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, but then he smiled up at the Hokage once more, grinning softly. "Yeah, I'll do that. I need to be ready for tomorrow anyways." The boy got out of the chair, and silently left the room.

The old Hokage returned to his seat and leaned back in it. He was getting too old for this. _'This was supposed to be my retirement...our retirement.' _He thought wistfully as he looked over to a small frame that lay flat upon his desk.

* * *

_'The day was finally here.'_ Sasuke Uchiha thought as he prepared a quick breakfast for himself. He was almost ready to go to the Academy, where the Team had decided they would meet up. He was prepared for this day. He would be one step closer to his goal.

He was soon ready to leave, and as he left the compound, his mind was also shifting to his blond team mate. He had been honestly shocked to see that Naruto was actually able to hold his own in a spar against him with the Sharingan. He knew that the knucklehead would grow stronger after their graduation, but he couldn't imagine him being quite as strong so suddenly.

He had initially been angry, but that had only lasted for a few seconds. The stronger his rival was, the stronger he'd just have to become to overcome the dobe. Kakashi was great as far as being a teacher was concerned, but Sasuke wanted someone to compete against, someone like a rival. _'Someone like what Itachi had been.' _Sasuke was wary to admit it, but Naruto was a great rival. The guy was so stubborn and unpredictable that it even threw Sasuke for a loop. He only hoped it would never come to what Itachi had told him on that dreadful night all those years ago.

Sasuke dismissed his thoughts as he finally neared the familiar Academy building. He saw a familiar head of pink hair, and walked over to his teammate. Sakura also smiled as she noticed Sasuke arrive.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun. It's a big day today, isn't it?"

Sasuke nodded. "It is important, which makes me wonder why Naruto isn't here yet. We all agreed to be here by half past eleven." He said. He swore, if he missed out on this just because that loser was late, he'd kill him before he even got to Itachi.

"Hey! Sakura, Sasuke!" A shout caught the two's attention. "I guess I made it right on time." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head with a grin.

Sasuke grunted. "We should get going. No need to stand here and waste our time." Sakura agreed with him, and the squad entered the academy. They started climbing up the stairs, only to stop on the second floor when they saw a fight taking place. Two large Genin stood in front of the specified room, and were laughing loudly as they blocked any other contestants from entering. "You nubs aren't nearly good enough to participate in the exams. Just go home kids!" They jeered on.

"Nubs Who are they to stop us from entering." Naruto exclaimed angrily. "I'll show them." But before he could storm to them, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto," Sakura said after stopping him. "That isn't the right room. We're still on the second floor. This is probably some kind of genjutsu." To confirm, she formed a hand seal, and broke the genjutsu. Both her teammates mirrored the action. "Good work Sakura. I had thought so as well." Sasuke said as the team began to climb yet another staircase.

The girl blushed at the blatant praise from her crush, which sort of miffed Naruto off. They saw that a much smaller number of students were around the real room 302, and they entered. Immediately, they felt a a strong pulse of pressure fall over them as all eyes in the room turned to face them, but they brushed it off. It was practically nothing compared to what it felt like when their sensei and Zabuza had faced off.

"Sasuke-kun!" A cry grasped their attention, and Naruto and Sakura turned to see Ino Yamanaka hanging on to Sasuke's back, clutching on to him. "It's so unfair that I don't get to spend every day with my beloved Sasuke-kun." Sakura grew enraged, as both she and Sasuke worked to get the blond off of his back.

"Well, somethings haven't changed." Kiba commented as he walked up to Naruto, with Akamaru yipping his own agreement. The boy began to say hi to all of his old classmates. They all seemed to be the same, and none of them had really changed too drastically. Heck, Hinata was still having that weird fever of hers which made her face go red and then made her pass out.

"So, all of you are going to be in these exams, eh?" He asked.

"Yeah." An enthused Kiba replied. "They're calling us the 'Rookie Nine', 'cause newly minted Genin don't usually participate in the exams." The small group continued to catch up, and were joined by Sasuke, Sakura, and a thoroughly annoyed Ino.

"Hey, you kids should keep your voices down. After all, you don't want any trouble coming your way." A voice called to them. Naruto looked up to see a man who was probably in his late teens walking to the group, with a Konoha headband on his forehead. "Trust me, everyone's tense right now, and you might not want to attract too much attention."

Kiba stepped forward. "Yeah, and what'd you know about these exams?"

The man only chuckled. "Forgive me, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Kabuto Yakushi, a Genin of Konoha, and this is my seventh attempt at the Chūnin Exams. I've failed every other time, but I have gotten very familiar with the exams." He pulled out a deck of cards. "I even have some information on all the participants here."

_'What a loser? Who fails an exam six times in a row?' _Sasuke thought, but he was still interested in the man's supposed information, so he stepped forward. "If what you say is true, I want information on Gaara of Suna." He said, before surreptitiously glancing to his own blond teammate as well. "And anyone else if you think they might be noteworthy."

Naruto recalled the name. They had met the boy soon after returning to the village. The Suna team had been there to register for the Chūnin Exams, and the Gaara boy had really weirded Naruto out. _'Doesn't really help that the guy didn't even seem to think I existed. He only wanted to know about Sasuke.'_

Kabuto smiled. "I like the way you think, but you're still making it a tad too easy. Now, let's see, Gaara of the Sand..." Kabuto had soon drawn a blank flashcard, which he channeled some chakra into. The card glowed and revealed text and images imprinted upon it.

"Gaara of the Sand, Genin member of Team Baki, along with Kankuro and Temari. His skillset as listed isn't too impressive, but he has never been wounded in battle, which shows he must be strong. Apparently, he's even been on a B-Rank mission, along with multiple C-Rank ones, but he has always pulled them off flawlessly. It's almost...strange." The Rookie Nine didn't say it, but they all agreed with Kabuto's assessment.

"And as for other potential threats, that's rather ironic coming from you, Sasuke Uchiha." Kabuto continued with a sly smile, before he pulled out three more cards. "Team Seven of Konoha, made up of Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki, and trained by Kakashi Hatake. In fact, you're the only team he's ever passed. You guys have quite a few D-Rank missions under your belt." The man then paused as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "But that isn't what throws me off. What I want to know, is how the only mission you have ever gone on - other than a D-Rank - is an S-Rank mission, which was successful on top of all things."

Suddenly, Team Seven found themselves to be the centre of attention in the entire testing room. It started with the rest of the Rookie Nine turning to look at their classmates with incredulous looks, followed by those who were standing close to the group of Konoha ninja. Murmurs soon broke out in the crowd of gathered Genin, and it was not long until everyone's eyes were on the three members of Team Seven. Some were marking them as opponents out of their league, and planning to do their best to avoid that team in particular, whereas some were determined to prove that they could take out the rookie team, S-Rank mission or not. If she was being completely honest, Sakura even felt a little intimidated by all the attention.

The good thing was that a certain member of Team Seven flourished in the limelight. "You heard the guy! And it's true, so all of you should watch out, because in these exams, our team is in it to win it, no matter what, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed as he stared down the rest of the room. Sasuke also stepped forward as a sign of agreement with his team mate, even if he didn't approve of Naruto's haphazard manner of doing everything. A moment later Sakura also found the resolve to join her team mates, as Naruto continued. "Just you see, Team Seven is going to show all of you what the future Hokage of Konoha has to offer, and I'm not afraid of kicking anyone's butt if that's what it'll take to get there!"

"Oh shut up." A deep voice drawled out from the front of the room. "I won't take any of you maggots starting trouble in this round, so form groups for your teams and walk up to a Chūnin to be assigned a seat. The next person to talk will find themselves and their team out of this room before they can say proctor. We're beginning the first part of the Chūnin Exams right now: the written exam."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys and gals! I hope you liked this chapter, even though it didn't feature much action. I was just tying up some loose strings before I began the actual Chūnin exams. But yes, the exams commence from the next chapter. And I really do plan on having these go different from canon. Now, this is only the start of Sasuke's shift from what he would have been in canon, and the divergence will be a little slow, but very much present.**

**Now, I am finally going to declare the pairings (if you haven't already seen it in the character tags). It will be NarutoxFū, and I am considering adding Mei to the pairing. Your thoughts on it would be appreciated, though I'm pretty sure I know what I'll do about that. It was very fun to see all of you guessing at what you thought the pairing might be, especially the ones who thought it might be NarutoxAnko, or NarutoxAyame. Those are fun pairings, but that ain't going to be happening on this story, so I'm sorry, I guess. And the pairings are not going to be rushed by any means, because that isn't fun at all. I'l try a bit of a slow burn, but nothing way too extreme. A quick mention for Sir Gewen, as he was able to correctly figure out the pairing - through trial and error, of course.**

**And do not worry, I am not ignoring Lee or anything. There have just been subtle changes which lead to that whole part not happening.**

**If you liked this chapter, or have any questions, drop a review or shoot me a PM. I do my best to respond to all of those if its a question. No spoilers, of course. Well, that's a wrap!**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami


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